SCOTLAND

Departmental Homeworking

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many staff in his Department are authorised to work from home.

David Cairns: All the staff in the Scotland Office are on secondment from the Scottish Executive or the Ministry of Justice who are both committed to achieving a work life balance for all staff. No staff in the Office formally work from home.

Departmental Pay

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate he has made of the average pay per hour worked by  (a) permanent and  (b) temporary staff in his Department in the last period for which figures are available, broken down by pay band.

David Cairns: Staff in the Scotland Office are on secondment from the Scottish Executive or the Ministry of Justice, and the office reimburses those Departments for the costs involved. The office does not maintain a record of the hourly pay of staff; such information is held by the parent Departments.

Departmental Public Expenditure

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much was spent on  (a) new furnishings,  (b) art and  (c) new vehicles by his Department in each of the last three years.

David Cairns: The Scotland Office spent the following
	
		
			  £ 
			   Furnishings  Art  New Vehicles 
			 2005-06 33,077 371 0 
			 2006-07 15,989 431 0 
			 2007-08 13,347 514 0

Wood

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much timber and timber products were procured by his Department in each of the last five years; and at what cost.

David Cairns: The Scotland Office does not separately record expenditure on timber products from other similar expenditure; total expenditure on office furnishings was:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2003-04 9,085 
			 2004-05 32,236 
			 2005-06 33,077 
			 2006-07 15,989 
			 2007-08 13,347

Wood

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much timber and timber products were procured by his Department originating from independently verified legal and sustainable sources or from a licensed FLEGT partner in each of the last five years; and at what cost.

David Cairns: All timber and timber products procured by my Department over the last five years have come from sustainable sources. The amount procured and the cost could only be established at disproportionate cost. The Scotland Office forms part of the Ministry of Justice; the Ministry of Justice does not keep separate records for the timber and timber products used in that part of its estate.

ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Peter Hain

Frank Field: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, whether the Commission has received a report from the police on the case of the right hon. Member for Neath (Mr. Hain).

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that it has received no such report.

TRANSPORT

Departmental Responsibilities

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what  (a) reviews,  (b) consultations and  (c) task forces her Department is (i) responsible for and (ii) scheduled to establish; on what date each such initiative (A) started and (B) is expected to be completed; and what the purpose is of each.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 24 June 2008
	Details of the Department for Transport's current consultations and reviews have been placed in the Libraries of the House. The Department has no task forces.

Invalid Vehicles: Greater London

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which London boroughs operate a Shopmobility scheme; and what funding is provided for the scheme from the public purse in each of those boroughs.

Rosie Winterton: We understand that there are three Shopmobility schemes operating in London: in Camden, Kensington and Chelsea and Wood Green. Shopmobility centres are not centrally funded by Government, and data regarding how much funding these schemes receive are therefore not available.

M1

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when she expects the Highways Agency to implement its proposals for widening the M1 between junctions 10 and 13; and what estimate she has made of the cost of the scheme.

Tom Harris: We announced in March that we had asked the Highways Agency to investigate alternative options for adding capacity to the M1 between junctions 10 and 13, including hard shoulder running. This work is under way and due to be complete by the autumn. The timetable for implementing improvements will depend on the option selected. Cost estimates are subject to further work and validation.

Motorways

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the average cost per mile of  (a) motorway widening and  (b) deploying hard shoulder running.

Tom Harris: The "Advanced Motorway Signalling and Traffic Management Feasibility Study", published on 4 March 2008, assumed a capital cost of £5.6 million per kilometre (for both directions, 2004 prices) for hard shoulder running. In addition operating costs of £92,000 per kilometre per year (2004 prices) were assumed. These costs were based on experience from the M42 hard shoulder running scheme, with some adjustments for development of design and allowance for risks. By way of comparison the capital cost of conventionally widening this section of the M42 was estimated at between £18 million and £25 million per kilometre in current prices.

Official Cars

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 10 March 2008,  Official Report, column 8W, on departmental official cars, what other suitable cars are available for non-Cabinet Ministers to use.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Government Car and Despatch Agency does not hold a list of suitable cars; it is for each Minister to choose a suitable car for official use in line with the criteria set by the Prime Minister.

Oil: Prices

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the change in levels of  (a) urban and  (b) inter-urban congestion following recent increases in the price of oil.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 23 June 2008
	Data on urban and inter-urban congestion can be found in the Department's Transport Statistics Bulletin, Road Traffic and Congestion in Great Britain Q1 2008 at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/162259/162469/221412/221546/224925/224965/368305/368322/roadtraffgbq12008.pdf.
	Provisional data on inter-urban congestion up to March 2008 are included in this bulletin. May 2008 data will be released on 3 July. Data on urban congestion are included for the period to August 2007. We have not yet analysed our urban data after this date and so do not have an estimate of changes in congestion since then.
	BERR have recently published new oil price projections in light of a consultation on them that ended early this year. They can be found at:
	http://www.berr.gov.uk/energy/environment/projections/recent/page26391.html.
	BERR propose reviewing these assumptions on a regular basis, at least annually.
	We are currently in the process of producing new road transport forecasts (which will include congestion) based on these updated oil price projections. We are also aiming to release new appraisal guidance with fuel prices based upon them shortly.

Railways: Fares

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which train operating companies' franchise agreements permit them to increase fares by more than one per cent. above inflation for a given period of time; and by how much and over what period of time this is permitted in each case.

Tom Harris: Southeastern and Northern have RPI plus 3 per cent. regimes. Southeastern is for the entire franchise area until the end of 2011; fares regulation will revert to RPI plus 1 per cent. from January 2012. Northern has an RPI plus 3 per cent. regime for the Leeds and West Yorkshire area only—this applies for the length of the present franchise. Both regimes were approved on the basis of supporting rolling stock investment in those franchises.

Railways: Rolling Stock

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment she has made of the number of uncommitted carriages held by rolling stock companies available for use by train operating companies who wish to lease extra carriages.

Tom Harris: holding answer 13 June 2008
	There has been no formal assessment carried out. It is up to the leasing companies to manage their portfolio of vehicles and offer them for lease to the market. However, current market indications are that there is very little suitable off-lease rolling stock available. Any vehicles which are off lease are being offered to the operators.

Roads

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport under what circumstances control of an A road would be moved from the local authority to the Highways Agency.

Tom Harris: The roads managed by the Highways Agency on behalf of the Secretary of State are of strategic importance, either nationally or regionally, and carry large volumes of long distance traffic.
	The composition of the strategic road network was reviewed as part of the Government's Transport White Paper "A New Deal for Transport: Better for Everyone", published in 1998. The factors taken into account in identifying this network are set out in the White Paper and in the accompanying document, "A New Deal for Trunk Roads in England".
	If the Secretary of State for Transport were to judge that the function of a local authority road had changed such that it now met the factors established in that White Paper, or if a road formed a better alternative to an existing trunk road, the road could be transferred to the strategic road network and managed by the Highways Agency.
	The only other circumstances in which that can occur is during the delivery of major improvement schemes to the strategic road network, when very short sections (a few hundred metres or less) of local authority controlled roads can be transferred to the Highways Agency as part of the realignment of roads and reconfiguration of junctions required by the scheme.

Roads: Planning

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what her Department's definition of route protection status is in the context of planned road developments.

Tom Harris: The Highways Agency issues a Direction (TR111) under article 15 of the Town and Country Planning (General Development Procedure) Order 1995, which requires a local planning authority to
	Refer planning applications, which fall within 67 metres of the centre line of the proposed route, to the agency, whereby the agency could impose a direction restricting development
	Notify anyone who submits a local search on a property within 200 metres of the proposed route.
	In most cases a TR111 is put in place at the same time as a preferred route is announced.

Rolling Stock

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the 1,300 extra carriages referred to in the High Level Output Statement include the carriages for the London Midland line announced prior to July 2007.

Tom Harris: The 217 new carriages ordered by London Midland and announced in June 2007 as part of the West Midlands Franchise Awards Process, are part of the 1,300 extra carriages promised in the High Level Output Specification. The new carriages will allow existing carriages to be cascaded, delivering extra capacity as set out in the Rolling Stock Plan.

Rolling Stock: Consultants

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much her Department had spent on consultancy fees on the procurement of new Pendolino carriages for the West Coast Main Line on the latest date for which figures are available.

Tom Harris: There are two components associated with this project. The first is the four new 11-car sets which are the replacements for the Grayrigg set, written off after the accident. The second component is the new 62 vehicles to be added to the existing fleet so that 31 trains are extended from nine to 11 cars. The total consultants fee up to end of period two (24 May 2008) for both the replacement sets and the new 31 two car sets is £518,000 on a project budget of £169 million for the period to 2014.

Transport: Bedfordshire

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the relative merits of  (a) a guided busway and  (b) a reinstated railway between Luton and Dunstable; what account she has taken of (i) climate change policy and (ii) the trend in oil prices in forming her view; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 24 June 2008
	The Luton to Dunstable Busway local transport major scheme is being promoted by Luton borough council. The proposed scheme involves the construction of approximately 12 km of busway, linking the centres of Luton, Dunstable and Houghton Regis with London Luton airport.
	As part of the process of assessing whether the Busway was the best option to progress, I understand that the council evaluated a number of alternative schemes including heavy rail and light rail. The assessment concluded that none of the alternative options provided as good value for money as the Busway.
	The scheme was granted initial Government funding approval in December 2003. Following two public inquiries, the scheme secured all its statutory powers in November 2006 under the Transport and Works Act 1992.
	The Department for Transport is now currently considering a request from Luton borough council to move the scheme to the next approval stage within the Department's local major scheme process. As part of our assessment of Luton's Conditional Approval bid, the Department will be revisiting the earlier analysis of the environmental and modelling aspects of the scheme in the light of developments since Programme Entry was granted in 2003.

Transport: Exhaust Emissions

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2008,  Official Report, column 38W, on transport exhaust emissions, what mechanism is in place to achieve the European Commission's 16 per cent. greenhouse gas reduction target over 2005 levels for the UK's non-traded sector, with specific reference to the reduction to be made in the road transport sector.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 16 June 2008
	The EU's proposed 16 per cent. burden-sharing target for the UK's non-traded sector is still subject to negotiation and applies to the entire non-traded sector. As such it will not be broken down into specific sectoral shares, for example between the transport and domestic heating sectors. The Government's framework for managing carbon budgets, including road transport emissions, will be established under the Climate Change Bill currently before Parliament.
	Further details are available from the Bill website:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climatechange/uk/legislation/index.htm
	In summary this framework will involve a requirement to meet emissions reduction targets in 2020 and 2050, and to set legally binding five-year carbon budgets starting from 2008. It will also involve annual progress reporting to Parliament and advice to Government and scrutiny from the independent Committee on Climate Change. In setting these budgets the Government will take account of their international and domestic obligations such as the EU's Climate and Energy package (including the 16 per cent. burden sharing target) and the Kyoto target.

Waterloo Station

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when she expects the former Eurostar platforms at Waterloo to reopen for use for domestic rail services.

Tom Harris: The Department is working closely with Network Rail and Stagecoach South Western Trains (SSWT) to finalise the design and costs of the partial conversion of Waterloo International to accommodate some domestic services. Therefore some services, most likely on the routes to Windsor and Reading, could use platform 20 of Waterloo International from the timetable change date in December 2008.
	It is primarily the railway infrastructure outside Waterloo that limits the number of trains that can use the station rather than the number of platforms. Therefore the need is to run longer trains rather than more trains. So we are planning to make all the platforms at Waterloo long enough to accommodate 10 car trains and to modify the junction layouts on the approaches to the station so that, ultimately, all the platforms at Waterloo, including those once used by Eurostar, can be used by 10-car domestic services. Such a scheme would allow the use of longer trains than currently use the short platforms and would result in a large increase in capacity on the South Western network.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Domestic Wastes: Waste Disposal

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which London boroughs use wheelie bins as the main form of household waste collection.

Joan Ruddock: DEFRA does not keep records on the types of waste collection system operated by local authorities. Decisions on local waste collection and recycling services are rightly for individual local authorities to make in close consultation with their residents. The Government strongly encourage local authorities to use good practice and to consider the overall carbon impact of their collection services. The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) provides local authorities with advice on this.

Fisheries

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which species fished by UK vessels have fallen below sustainable fishing levels; and in which year fish stocks were first threatened in each case.

Jonathan R Shaw: Since 1998, the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) has applied precautionary reference points as the basis for its advice, identifying which harvesting rates meet precautionary criteria. These criteria aim to ensure sustainability by keeping spawning stock biomass (SSB, the weight of mature fish) above a minimum precautionary level, Bpa (set high enough to allow a margin of error sufficient to keep SSB above a lower limit level, Blim), and keeping the fishing rate (F) below a maximum precautionary level, Fpa (set low enough to allow a margin of error sufficient to keep F below an upper limit level, Flim).
	Based on advice from ICES in 2007, which evaluated stock assessments using fisheries data for years up to and including 2006, and survey data up to and including 2007, the following stocks fished by the UK have experienced unsustainable fishing levels when compared to the maximum precautionary level:
	 (i) North Sea
	Herring since 2006
	 (ii) West of Scotland
	Haddock since 2006
	 (iii) Irish Sea
	Cod since the introduction of precautionary reference points in 1998, sole since 2006
	 (iv) Western Channel
	Both plaice and sole since the introduction of precautionary reference points in 1998
	 (v) Widely distributed
	North-east Atlantic mackerel since 2001, blue whiting since 1999
	For a number of stocks it has not been possible to make a quantitative comparison because the level of F was uncertain in 2007. This includes some stocks which have shown a long-term decline, such as cod in the west of Scotland.

Fisheries: Quotas

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much UK fishing quota was not used in 2007; what estimate he has made of the amount of quota allocated for 2008 which will not be used; what steps he plans to take in respect of unused quota; and if he will  (a) buy back and  (b) allocate to the under 10 metre fleet any unused quota.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer given 23 June 2008
	In total, 87 per cent. of all UK quota was fished in 2007. No estimate has been made of the amount of quota that will not be used in 2008 as many factors affect uptake, making it very difficult to make a meaningful estimate.
	I am working closely with the industry to ensure that potentially unused quota is made available to the under 10 metre fleet. I have no plans to buy back quota and allocate this to the under 10 metre fleet. However, I am planning to publish next month a consultation document on measures to assist the under 10 metre fleet.

Litter: North-East

Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many fixed penalty notices have been issued for litter-dropping in  (a) Wirral West constituency and  (b) Merseyside in the last 18 months; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the issue of fixed penalty notices on littering in urban areas.

Jonathan R Shaw: DEFRA collects data on the number of fixed penalty notices issued for litter-dropping by each local authority in England. The table contains statistics on the number of fixed penalty notices issued and reported by each local authority in Merseyside.
	
		
			  Local authority  April 2005 to  March 2006  April 2006 to  March 2007 
			 Knowsley 72 21 
			 Liverpool 100 757 
			 Sefton 0 0 
			 St. Helens 0 4 
			 Wirral 151 (1)— 
			 (1 )No data. 
		
	
	A full breakdown of the available data can be found on the DEFRA website.
	DEFRA has not carried out a direct assessment of the impact of fixed penalty notices on instances of littering.
	Local authorities in England have the power to issue fixed penalty notices for littering offences, or can choose to take a prosecution. English local authorities issued 43,624 fixed penalty notices for littering offences in 2006-07 compared to 33,033 in 2005-06, the payment rate was 77.1 per cent. in 2006-07 compared to 54 per cent. in 2005-06, and 233 local authorities made use of the powers to issue fixed penalty notices in 2006-07 compared to 197 in 2005-06. Local authorities have a variety of tools available to them to make local assessments as part of their cleansing and enforcement strategies, including data sources such as the national indicator on cleanliness, the Local Environmental Quality Survey of England and the extended Local Environmental Quality Survey of England.

Maps: EC Law

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he plans to consult on legislative and other means of implementing the INSPIRE Directive.

Jonathan R Shaw: DEFRA has been working with stakeholders across central, devolved and local government, as well as the wider geographic information community, in considering how to implement the INSPIRE Directive. We will, in due course, be consulting further on how we propose to transpose the directive into UK legislation, and on its subsequent implementation.

Marine Management Organisation

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what budget has been allocated to the Marine Management Organisation implementation team within the Marine Fisheries Agency; and what the grade of the Director of the team is.

Jonathan R Shaw: I am keen to achieve a smooth transition from the Marine and Fisheries Agency to the Marine Management Organisation, and to start work towards the new organisation in good time. A budget of £1 million has been allocated to support the continued development of the Marine and Fisheries Agency in 2008-09, mindful of its probable transition to the MMO. This work is not dependent on the parliamentary process.
	The post of director of the MMO implementation team is at grade 6.

Sewers: Urban Areas

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent representations he has received on the  (a) responsibility for,  (b) ownership of and  (c) maintenance of urban drainage systems; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: DEFRA recently consulted on options for the allocation of responsibility for the ownership and long-term maintenance of sustainable drainage systems, as part of the consultation on "Improving Surface Water Drainage". This consultation was launched alongside the Government's Water Strategy, "Future Water", and closed on 30 April 2008. We will publish a summary of the responses in late July, followed by a Government response to the consultation and proposed course of action later in the year.

Solvents: Waste Disposal

Denis Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what advice he has issued to local authorities in relation to the disposal of waste paints and solvents from domestic properties.

Joan Ruddock: I approved the recently published National Household Hazardous Waste Forum's "Haz Guide", which provides advice on the disposal of waste paints and solvents.
	This can be found on the internet on the National Household Hazardous Waste Forum's website at
	www.nhhf.org.uk.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Ageing

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will publish the results of projects on which his Department has jointly worked with France and Germany at EU level on managing ageing populations and tackling the causes of poverty.

Stephen Timms: My Department collaborated in a seminar on active ageing held by France in November 2007, which brought together UK, French and German policy experts on extending working lives. On June 23 Germany hosted a follow-on event mainly involving employers and other stakeholders from the three countries. This work is part of the continuous process of Governments across the European Union learning from each other and sharing good practice. There was no published report.
	My Department exchanges good practice on welfare reform with all EU member states. This aims, for example, to increase participation in employment under the Lisbon Jobs and Growth Strategy and contribute to the eradication of poverty under the EU Social Protection and Social Inclusion process. The Lisbon Strategy includes a target for an EU employment level by 2010 of 50 per cent. of older people of working age. The spring European Council in March noted that an employment rate of 43.5 per cent. had been achieved by the end of 2006, 6.5 percentage points from the target.

Asbestos: Farms

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what representations the Health and Safety Executive has received from the farming industry on the proportionality of regulations concerning the disposal of white asbestos.

Anne McGuire: The Health and Safety Executive has received no recent representations from farming industry representatives on the proportionality of the regulations concerning the disposal of white asbestos, but an official has recently met members of the National Farmers Union at their request to discuss the international classification of white asbestos.

Carer's Allowance

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the earnings threshold is for those claiming carer's allowance; and if he will consider raising the threshold.

Anne McGuire: The Carer's Allowance earnings limit was increased to £95 a week in October 2007 as a special measure to improve support for carers. The Government's 10 year strategy for carers published on 10 June 2008 "Carers at the heart of 21st century families and communities" committed to looking at the current structure of benefits for carers, and stated
	"Within the context of wider welfare reform and the fundamental review of the care and support system, we must create a system of carers' benefits that is able to provide support where it is most needed and that can adapt to the wide range of needs that carers have."

Carer's Allowance: Hemsworth

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people receive carer's allowance in  (a) the Hemsworth constituency and  (b) Wakefield district.

Anne McGuire: The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Carer's Allowance cases in payment: November 2007 
			   Number 
			 Hemsworth parliamentary constituency 1,090 
			 Wakefield metropolitan district council 3,310 
			  Notes: 1. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Totals show the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and exclude people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended.  3. This information is published at http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/tabtool.asp  Source:  DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.

Child Maintenance

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will bring forward amendments to regulations governing child support so that payments received in lieu of a company car are treated in the same way as the provision of a company car in calculating the level of child maintenance.

James Plaskitt: Payments made in lieu of a company car are treated as income within the child maintenance calculation, in the event that such payments are subject to tax. There are no plans to amend regulations in this respect.
	However, under child support legislation, expenses incurred by persons "wholly, exclusively and necessarily" in the course of their employment are disregarded as income when the child maintenance liability is calculated. In some cases this can include expenses relating to company cars.

Cycling

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make it his policy to extend the cycle to work scheme to employees in his Department.

Anne McGuire: It is this Department's policy to extend the cycle to work scheme for our employees. The scheme will be launched in autumn 2008.

Industrial Accidents: Vehicles

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reasons fatalities involving at-work vehicles are not included in the fatalities of workers recorded annually by the Health and Safety Executive; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: holding answer 20 June 2008
	Fatalities recorded by the HSE are notified under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR), which only require employers to notify HSE of fatal accidents that occur within the workplace or when they involve a specific road side activity.
	The police are responsible for the investigation of fatalities that occur on public roads, whether or not the vehicle is involved in a work activity, and collect information which is used by the Department for Transport to compile their Annual Statistics on Road Casualties.

Industrial Health and Safety: Redcliffe Bay

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether a risk assessment of the Redcliffe Bay oil storage depot site near Portishead has been completed by the Health and Safety Executive.

Anne McGuire: The Oil and Pipelines Agency (OPA), as the operator of the Redcliffe Bay fuel storage depot has the duty under the Control of Major Accident Hazards Regulations (COMAH), to conduct and complete a risk assessment for the site.
	The COMAH Regulations are enforced in England and Wales by a competent authority comprising of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the Environmental Agency (EA).
	OPA has produced a safety report which included the main results and arguments of the hazard analysis and risk analysis, and submitted this to the competent authority for assessment as required by COMAH. In the safety report, OPA was required to demonstrate that it has taken all measures necessary to prevent major accidents and to limit the consequences to people and the environment of any that might occur. The HSE has completed its part of the competent authority's assessment of the Redcliffe Bay Safety report, and this has been included in the competent authority's conclusions on its overall determination of the case for safety made by OPA in the report.

Members: Correspondence

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects to reply to the letter of 20 May from the hon. Member for Walsall North on home responsibilities protection awards to pensioners.

Mike O'Brien: A reply was sent to my hon. Friend on 23 June 2008.

WOMEN AND EQUALITY

Departmental Buildings

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how many  (a) new builds and  (b) major refurbishments for a cost in excess of £0.5 million were completed by the Government Equalities Office since its establishment.

Barbara Follett: None

Departmental Expenditure

David Simpson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how much was spent on  (a) new furnishings,  (b) art and  (c) new vehicles by the Government Equalities Office since its inception.

Barbara Follett: None.

Departmental Home Working

Bob Spink: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how many people in the Government Equalities Office are authorised to work from home.

Barbara Follett: Subject to line management approval and operational need, all staff in the Government Equalities Office can be authorised to work from home.

Departmental Trade Unions

Bob Spink: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality which trade unions represent members of staff in the Government Equalities Office.

Barbara Follett: The trade unions who represent staff in the Government Equalities Office are Public and Commercial Services (PCS), FDA and Prospect.

Wood

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how much timber and timber products were procured by the Government Equalities Office originating from independently verified legal and sustainable sources or from a licensed FLEGT partner since its establishment; and at what cost.

Barbara Follett: None.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Crown Prosecution Service: Wales

Chris Ruane: To ask the Solicitor-General how many Crown Prosecution Service personnel are employed in  (a) Rhyl and  (b) Colwyn Bay.

Vera Baird: The Crown Prosecution Service does not have an office in Rhyl. Cases originating from this area are dealt with by staff based in Colwyn Bay. There are 42 members of staff working in the Colwyn Bay office.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Mark Hoban: To ask the Solicitor-General what the  (a) date,  (b) venue,  (c) total cost and  (d) per capita cost of all internal staff parties held by (i) the Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office and (ii) other agencies in her Department have been in the last 12 months.

Vera Baird: There has been only one internal staff party held by the Attorney-General's Office and its superintended Departments in the last 12 months. This was held by the Serious Fraud Office on 5 October 2007 at the Serious Fraud Office, Elm House. The total cost was £685.59, the per capita cost was £4.66.

Prisons: Crimes of Violence

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Solicitor-General how many reports of assaults on prison staff by inmates, made with a view to prosecution, the Crown Prosecution Service received in each of the last five years for which records are available; and how many such cases were prosecuted.

Vera Baird: The central records maintained by the Crown Prosecution Service include no information on either the employment of victims of crime or the custodial status of defendants. To obtain this information, by reference to individual case files, would incur disproportionate cost (Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, part 2, clause 9).

NORTHERN IRELAND

Departmental Inquiries

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what independent inquiries have been commissioned by his Department in the last five years; what the  (a) purpose and  (b) cost was of each; and what steps were taken following each such inquiry.

Shaun Woodward: The Robert Hamill inquiry, the Rosemary Nelson inquiry, and the Billy Wright inquiry are independent public inquiries which have been established by my office in the last five years. Their terms of reference, announced on 16 November 2004, are:
	 The Robert Hamill i nquiry
	To inquire into the death of Robert Hamill with a view to determining whether any wrongful act or omission by or within the Royal Ulster Constabulary facilitated his death or obstructed the investigation of it, or whether attempts were made to do so; whether any such act or omission was intentional or negligent; whether the investigation of his death was carried out with due diligence; and to make recommendations.
	 The Rosemary Nelson inquiry
	To inquire into the death of Rosemary Nelson with a view to determining whether any wrongful act or omission by or within the Royal Ulster Constabulary, Northern Ireland Office, Army or other state agency facilitated her death or obstructed the investigation of it, or whether attempts were made to do so; whether any such act or omission was intentional or negligent; whether the investigation of her death was carried out with due diligence; and to make recommendations.
	 The Billy Wright inquiry
	To inquire into the death of Billy Wright with a view to determining whether any wrongful act or omission by or within the prison authorities or other state agencies facilitated his death, or whether attempts were made to do so; whether any such act or omission was intentional or negligent; and to make recommendations.
	The costs to the end of May 2008 of each public inquiry are:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 The Robert Hamill inquiry 15.62 
			 The Rosemary Nelson inquiry 27.39 
			 The Billy Wright inquiry 16.75 
		
	
	The inquiries have not yet completed.

Devolution

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  what discussions took place regarding the Irish language at recent talks between the Government, Sinn Féin and the Democratic Unionist Party;
	(2)  what discussions took place on the devolution of criminal justice and policing at recent talks between the Government, Sinn Féin and the Democratic Unionist Party;
	(3)  what subjects were discussed at his talks with the Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Féin at the time of the establishment of the new Northern Ireland Executive; what the outcomes were of such discussions; and if he will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: The recent talks between the Government and the Northern Ireland First and deputy First Ministers covered a number of issues including the forward investment strategy for Northern Ireland, the economic situation, devolution of policing and justice, continuing concerns around paramilitary organisations, parades, sites, the Irish language and education.
	The First and deputy First Ministers have confirmed that these discussions will continue in Belfast, involving all the parties in the Assembly.

Equality

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will take steps to establish a strategy to tackle age discrimination and promote age equality in the provision of goods and services by the Department; and if he will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: As responsibility for equality matters in the Northern Ireland Civil Service (stemming from statutory obligations arising from Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998) has been devolved to a local administration, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has no direct responsibility for the development of proposals to tackle age discrimination and promote age equality in the provision of goods and services.

Irish Language: Broadcasting

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the purposes are of the £6 million allocated by his Department for Irish language broadcasting; and if he will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: The additional money is being provided to enable the Irish Language Broadcast Fund to continue beyond its current end date of 2009 to the end of the CSR period.
	The fund was established in response to the Joint Declaration of 2003 for the purpose of providing financial support for Irish language film and television production.

Water Charges

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what changes are to be made to the financial arrangements regarding water charges following recent talks between the Government, Sinn Féin and the Democratic Unionist Party.

Shaun Woodward: Policy on water is a devolved matter for the Northern Ireland Executive within the context of the UK public expenditure system.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Alcoholic Drinks: Young People

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were  (a) cautioned,  (b) prosecuted and  (c) given a penalty notice for disorder for selling alcohol to people under the age of 18 years in (i) 2006 and (ii) 2007.

Vernon Coaker: The number of persons issued with; a caution, penalty notice for disorder and proceeded against at magistrates courts for offences relating to selling alcohol to people under the age of 18-years-old in England and Wales for 2006 can be viewed in the following tables 1 and 2.
	Court proceedings data for 2007 will be available in the autumn of 2008.
	
		
			  Table 1: The number of persons issued with a caution, and proceeded against at magistrates courts for a certain alcohol offences in England and Wales for the year 2006( 1,2,3,4,5) 
			  Offence description  Proceeded against  Caution( 3) 
			 Holder of occasional permission or his agent knowingly selling to, knowingly allow consumption by or allowing any person to sell, intoxicating liquor to a person under 18. Selling etc. intoxicating liquor to person under 18 for consumption on the premises 736 22 
			 Sale of alcohol to person under 18 395 36 
			 Wholesaler selling intoxicating liquor to a person under 18 1 3 
			 Allow sale of alcohol to an individual under 18 17 — 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Data Includes the following offence descriptions and corresponding statutes: Holder of occasional permission or his agent knowingly selling to, knowingly allow consumption by or allowing any person to sell, intoxicating liquor to a person under 18. Selling etc. intoxicating liquor to person under 18 for consumption on the premises. Licensing (Occasional Permissions) Act 1983 Schedule (Sec 3) para 4(1). Licensing Act 1964 Sec 169(1). Sale of alcohol to person under 18. Licensing Act 2003 S. 146(1) Wholesaler selling intoxicating liquor to a person under 18. Licensing Act 1964 Sec 181A(1) as added by Licensing Act 1988 Sec 17. Allow sale of alcohol to an individual under 18. Licensing Act 2003 Sec 147(1) and (5). (3) From 1 June 2000 the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 came into force nationally and removed the use of cautions for persons under 18 and replaced them with reprimands and final warnings. Reprimands and final warnings are included in the data. (4) The Licensing Act 2003 came into force on 24 November 2005. (5) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is Important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts, other agencies, and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Court proceedings data held by RDS—Office for Criminal Justice Reform—Ministry of Justice 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: The number of persons issued with a penalty notice for disorder for the offence Sale of alcohol to person under 18 in England and Wales for the year 2006( 1,2,3,4) 
			   Sale of alcohol to person under 18 
			 2006 3,195 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Data include the following offence descriptions and corresponding statute: Sale of alcohol anywhere to a person under 18. s.146(1) of the Licensing Act 2003. (3) New legislative reference with effect from 24 November 2005 on implementation of Licensing Act 2003. (4) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is Important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts, other agencies, and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Court proceedings data held by RDS—Office for Criminal Justice Reform—Ministry of Justice

Animal Experiments

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many animal experiments carried out between 2002 and 2004 had death as an end point, broken down by categories of usage defined in the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.

Meg Hillier: The Home Office does not authorise death as an experimental end point. Where death as a result of the authorised treatment or procedure can be expected, we strive to set earlier end points so that animals are killed before they reach a point at which death would occur. We do not, therefore, collect or hold the information requested.

Extradition: USA

John Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been extradited from the UK to the US to face charges connected to terrorism in the last three years.

Meg Hillier: Since 1 January 2005, one person has been extradited from the UK to the US on terrorism-related charges.

Genetics: Databases

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many residents of East Yorkshire and Humberside had samples of DNA recorded on the national DNA database as a result of being sampled by Humberside Police at the latest date for which figures are available.

Meg Hillier: holding answer 22 April 2008
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Beverley and Holderness (Mr. Stuart) on 25 March 2008,  Official Report, column 71W, in which the figures for Yorkshire and Humberside were provided.

Identity and Passport Service: Glasgow

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information was considered in advance of the decision to downgrade the Glasgow office of the Passport Agency.

Meg Hillier: The Identity and Passport Service (IPS) modelled in detail the numbers and types of staff likely to be needed to undertake the back office operations from now until post 2017. This showed that, despite increasing volume from ID card demand, there will be a reduction in traditional examining and related production and customer support posts in IPS, due to the process efficiencies to be delivered from increasing automation and processing by the new Application and Examination system. These changes put pressure on IPS to adopt a more efficient operating model and to adjust its staff structure in some offices. Glasgow emerged for this proposal for the reasons that it has a relatively small production capacity; it currently has lower output per full-time equivalent compared to the larger offices; it already has an established capability for carrying out post issue counter fraud activity and there are opportunities for redeployment. The service to the public will remain the same.

Identity and Passport Service: Glasgow

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the decision to downgrade the Glasgow office of the Passport Agency was taken.

Meg Hillier: The Identity and Passport Service (IPS) Board met on 31 March 2008 to consider the proposal to remove back office operations from Glasgow office. IPS is now in a 90 days consultation period with the trade union side which must be completed before IPS can make a final decision on how to proceed. That consultation period started on 8 April 2008.

Identity and Passport Service: Glasgow

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Identity and Passport Service instructed Post Office Ltd to redirect mail for the Glasgow office of the Passport Agency to centres in Peterborough and Durham.

Meg Hillier: The Identity and Passport Service (IPS) has not instructed Post Office Ltd to redirect mail for the Glasgow Passport Agency to IPS offices in Peterborough and Durham. Postal application processing continues at the Glasgow office.

Identity and Passport Service: Translation Services

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much the Identity and Passport Service spent on translation services for those applying for a passport in  (a) 2006 and  (b) 2007.

Meg Hillier: In the 2006 calendar year IPS spent £3,000 on translation services. In the 2007 calendar year IPS spent £117,000 on translation services. Figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000.

Identity Cards

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how a single audit trail will be created from the identity card transactions linked to the biometric, biographic and administrative databases which will make up the National Identity Register.

Meg Hillier: holding answer 29 April 2008
	An audit record will be kept of occasions when an individual's record is checked or amended. The biometric, biographic and administrative components of the national identity register will each have their own audit record so information from these individual audit records will only be brought together to support the security of the register, in the interests of national security or the prevention and detection of serious crime, or to respond to an individual's request for data subject access.

Identity Cards

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many fingerprints from a person's hand are planned to be recorded and stored on identity cards.

Meg Hillier: The information, including the number of biometric fingerprints to be recorded and stored in the chip on the identity card for British citizens, will be prescribed in secondary legislation to be approved by Parliament under section 6 of the Identity Cards Act 2006. However, our intention is that during the enrolment process we will record 10 fingerprint images which will be stored on the national identity register with two of the holder's fingerprints stored on the chip on the identity card. This is also the procedure planned for the identity card to be issued to foreign nationals.

National Identity Register

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the biometric fingerprints to be stored on the National Identity Register will be rolled or plain impressions; and how many fingerprints will be stored on the register.

Meg Hillier: The precise manner of enrolment of fingerprint biometrics has yet to be finalised for identity cards to be issued to British citizens under the Identity Cards Act 2006. However, it is intended that 10 plain fingerprints will be recorded and stored on the national identity register. This will be compatible with fingerprint biometrics recorded for identity cards to be issued to foreign nationals under the UK Borders Act 2007.

Organised Crime: Crime Prevention

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of funding from the Tackling Gangs Action Programme has been allocated to Greater London.

Vernon Coaker: The Tackling Gangs Action Programme committed £1.5 million of funds to build on enforcement, community reassurance, risk management and Third Sector delivery in neighbourhoods within Birmingham, Liverpool, London and Manchester where guns and gangs have caused serious harm. Over £573,000 of this funding was allocated for work in parts of London. A further £1 million is being allocated to the four areas for enforcement, intelligence, safeguarding, prevention, and community reassurance work.

Passports

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 12 March 2008,  Official Report, column 410W, on passports, what the reason is for the difference in current average processing time for straightforward, properly completed passport applications between each of the regional offices excluding London.

Meg Hillier: holding answer 31 March 2008
	The amount of postal work received in each office in 2006 varied according to the local catchment area, transfers of work between offices to match short-term capacity to demand, and the office's capacity to deal with the applications received. The policy is to ensure that all straightforward, properly completed applications are processed within 10 days. In 2006, the average time within which applications were processed ranged from 3.4 to 5.3 working days.

Research Development and Statistics Directorate: Publications

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what percentage of reports produced by her Department's Research, Development and Statistics Directorate have been published in the last 10 years; and what the titles of the unpublished reports are.

Meg Hillier: Most Home Office research reports are published except when the Home Office Chief Scientific Adviser decides not to publish in a Home Office series on the grounds of inadequate scientific quality following independent and external peer review or the results are badly out of date or on public interest grounds.
	Since 1998 a total of 993 research and statistics outputs have been completed and published. Details of these publications are available on the Research, Development and Statistics website at
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pubsintro1.html.
	We have not identified any publishable research reports produced in the period 1997-2001 that have not been published, but completing a full search of available records cannot be undertaken without incurring disproportionate cost.
	For the period 2001-08 the following 22 completed research reports were produced but have not been published. This excludes projects where no report of publishable standard was produced. During the period 2001-08, 800 research outputs were published, hence the percentage not published in this period is just over 2 per cent.
	 Reports where a decision was made for the research to have limited distribution on the grounds of security, or practical operational  considerations
	Merseyside Middle Market Drugs Unit Evaluation and Middle Market Drug Evaluation—Wales (Operation Tarian)
	An Examination of Referrals to Multi-Agency Public Protection Panels in 2002-03
	Dealing with Mentally Disordered Offenders in the National Probation Service
	Enforcement of warrants
	ECP placement providers
	Information held on forensic databases
	Research into police complaints
	Exploring the geodemographic and distant relationships between stranger rapists and their offences
	Predicting the accuracy of stranger rape victims' statements
	Homicide enquiries that begin as missing persons enquiries
	Research into gay victim homicides
	The Sentencer Information Service (SIS)
	 Research that was not published
	Neighbourhood wardens: an evaluation of selected schemes
	Approved premises: referrals, admissions and outcomes
	Implementing Diversionary Restorative Justice: Lessons learnt
	Process study of offender management in the North West region
	Organised crime: revenues, economic and social costs, and criminal assets available for seizure
	 Completed  r esearch where release has not been confirmed at this  time
	UK annex to "Conditions of entry and residence of third country highly skilled workers in the EU": a European Migration Network (EMN) study(1)
	UK annex to "Return": an EMN study(1)
	Anti-social and other problem behaviours among young children: patterns and associated child characteristics
	Characteristics associated with resilience in children at high risk of involvement in antisocial behaviour
	Anti-social and other problem behaviours among young children: findings from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Childhood.
	(1 )Approval to publish has been given for these reports.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the Answer of 20 June 2008,  Official Report, column 1203W, on Afghanistan: peacekeeping operations, what the cost was of providing care and support to troops injured during service in  (a) Afghanistan and  (b) Iraq in 2007-08.

Derek Twigg: The information is not held in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

AWE Burghfield: Planning Permission

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Portsmouth South of 5 January 2008,  Official Report, column 1061W, on AWE Burghfield, what the timetable is for submission of all proposed planning applications at  (a) AWE Burghfield and  (b) AWE Aldermaston.

Bob Ainsworth: The following table represents the latest programme position for the submission of planning applications for AWE Aldermaston and Burghfield as included in the Site Development Context Plan 2005-15, updated in April 2008.
	
		
			  Project  Site  Timing of planning application 
			 Conventional Manufacturing Facility Burghfield With West Berkshire planning authority 
			 Assembly/Disassembly Facility Burghfield Last quarter of 2008 
			 Enriched Uranium Facility Aldermaston Early 2009 
			 Hydrodynamics Facility Main and Support Building Aldermaston Mid 2009 
			 Systems Engineering Facility Aldermaston Beyond 2010, but not yet determined(1) 
			 Small Scale Formulations Aldermaston (1)— 
			 Chemical Processing Burghfield (1)— 
			 Emergency Response Capability Facility Training Extension Burghfield (1)— 
			 Combined Non Metallurgy and Material Science Burghfield (1)— 
			 High Performance Computer Aldermaston (1)— 
			 New Office Accommodation Phase 3 Aldermaston (1)— 
			 Landscaping Aldermaston Planning permission not required(2) 
			 Landscaping Aldermaston and Burghfield (2)—

Defence Equipment

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of  (a) weapons mounted installation kits,  (b) Warrior vehicles,  (c) Saxon vehicles,  (d) Scimitar vehicles,  (e) combat vehicle reconnaissance tracked vehicles and  (f) 0.5 inch heavy machine guns have been fit for service in each year since 2003.

Bob Ainsworth: Officials are currently compiling information from a range of sources which will take some time to complete. I will therefore write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.
	 Substantive answer from Bob Ainsworth to Nick Harvey:
	I undertook to write to you in answer to your Parliamentary Question on 6 March 2008 (Official Report, column 2709W) about equipments fit for service and available for Army training.
	The percentage of specific equipments fit for service in each year since 2005 are shown in the table below. Information is not available prior to 2005.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 WMIK 72 70 71 76 
			 WARRIOR 62 53 44 46 
			 SAXON 62 65 33 33 
			 CVR(T)(1) 67 56 50 50 
			 (1) CVRT figures include SCIMITAR (which is a CVR(T) variant) 
		
	
	The main SAXON variant—the General War Role (GWR) was drawn down and disposed of in 2007 leaving two much smaller fleets of specialist SAXON variants. Relatively minor fluctuations in availability in these small fleets have a marked effect on the overall percentage compared to their effect on the previously existing significantly larger fleet. Availability data is not collated centrally for 0.5 inch Heavy Machine Gun.
	You also asked about specified equipment types available for Army training in each year since 1997.
	In theory the whole fleet is available for training including the deployed assets since some training is undertaken in operational theatres, although, of course, at any one time a number of equipments will be under repair, maintenance, conversion etc.
	This number will vary from day to day and we do not maintain statistics on average availability. We can however provide snapshots as I did in my reply of 20 February 2008 (Official Report, column 699W). I attach a copy of the relevant Hansard extract.

Departmental Buildings

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent on  (a) new capital investment and  (b) refurbishment of property in each of the last 10 years, broken down by project.

Derek Twigg: The information is not held in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	However, in Financial Year 2006-07 the Department spent over £600 million on property and other infrastructure capital investment (not including equivalent PFI expenditure). The diverse nature of the estate means that this investment could relate to projects ranging from new housing and accommodation blocks to resurfacing of runways and specialist military infrastructure.
	Refurbishment of property is not readily distinguishable from other maintenance expenditure except to the extent that costs are capitalised and included within other capital investment.

Departmental Buildings

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how frequently his Department restates the asset values of its building estate.

Derek Twigg: In accordance with Financial Reporting Standard 15, the Department is required to undertake a professional 'existing use' valuation of its estate at least every five years. The Ministry of Defence fulfils this obligation with a five year rolling valuation programme where 25 per cent. of the estate is valued in the first four years and the fifth year is used to capture any residual assets. The last five year programme ended in financial year 2007-08.
	Between formal valuation, asset values are revised annually using indices provided by the Defence Analytical Services Agency. Where assets are held for disposal they are valued at open market value and are subject to annual revaluation.

Departmental Buildings

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) new builds and  (b) major refurbishments were completed by his Department for a cost in excess of £0.5 million in (i) 2005-06, (ii) 2006-07 and (iii) 2007-08 to which the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method or equivalent was applied; how many such buildings were assessed as (A) pass, (B) good, (C) very good and (D) excellent; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: In March 2006 the Department introduced the Defence Related Environmental Assessment Methodology (DREAM), which the Office of Government Commerce recognises as equivalent to the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM), for Ministry of Defence construction projects.
	The value of each project completed to these standards is not separately identifiable and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The numbers of assessments completed to these standards for the years in which information is available is shown in the following tables. The smaller proportion of projects reaching the top standards in the first two years is due to the fact that project teams were still developing their understanding of environmental performance assessments and how best to meet these new requirements.
	
		
			   Assessment method  Total new builds assessed  Number new builds reaching excellent standard  Number new builds reaching very good standard 
			 2005-06 BREEAM 49 3 6 
			 2006-07 DREAM 18 9 3 
			 2007-08 DREAM 9 9 0 
		
	
	
		
			   Assessment method  Total refurbishments assessed  Number refurbishments reaching excellent standard  Number refurbishments reaching very good standard 
			 2005-06 BREEAM 32 1 1 
			 2006-07 DREAM 4 2 2 
			 2007-08 DREAM 9 7 0

Departmental Conferences

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the conferences hosted by his Department in each of the last two years; and what the cost was of each conference.

Derek Twigg: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Manpower

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many jobs his Department expects to relocate under the policy of civil service job dispersal.

Derek Twigg: Under the Lyons review, the MOD plans to relocate some 5,000 civil service and military posts out of London and the South East by March 2010. This is against the MOD's Lyons relocation target of 3,900 that was agreed and published as part of the 2004 spending review.

Departmental Marketing

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department and its agencies spent on branding and marketing activity in 2007-08.

Derek Twigg: Ministry of Defence accounts for the 2007-08 financial year are currently being audited, so final figures on marketing and branding expenditure are not yet available.

European Fighter Aircraft

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Eurofighter Typhoons are now in service with the RAF; when the remainder are scheduled to enter service; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: Forty-nine Tranche 1 aircraft are now in service with the RAF. Deliveries from Tranche 2 (91 aircraft) are planned to commence in September 2008 and to continue until 2013-14. Negotiations with Partner Nations and industry on Tranche 3 are under way and expected to continue throughout this year.

India: Defence

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made on  (a) joint military training and  (b) co-production of defence equipment since the joint declaration with India on 20 September 2004.

Bob Ainsworth: There has been a significant increase in the breadth and depth of defence co-operation between UK and India since the Joint Declaration of 2004, and combined military training involving all three Services is an important dimension of our security relationship.
	The UK also has a strong commitment to partnering with India in the field of defence equipment production. We are well placed to support India's efforts to develop a sustainable defence manufacturing sector that produces a positive contribution to the economies of both UK and India.
	The growing relationship is underpinned by a regular dialogue between our respective Defence Ministries at the highest level that provides for the exchange of ideas, the sharing of experience as well as a forum for the resolution of any problems.

Military Aircraft: Repairs and Maintenance

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the percentage shortfall in availability of spare parts for each type of Royal Air Force  (a) fast jet,  (b) tanker and transport aircraft and  (c) maritime reconnaissance aircraft.

Bob Ainsworth: The off the shelf satisfaction rate (OTSSR), defined as the percentage of demands for spares satisfied direct from MOD stock, is as follows.
	
		
			  Aircraft  OTSSR( 1)  (percentage) 
			 Typhoon 72 
			 Harrier 97 
			 Tornado F3 97 
			 Tornado GR4 98 
			 Hawk (2)— 
			 Tristar 87 
			 VC10 86 
			 C-17A Globemaster (2)— 
			 Nimrod MR2 97 
			 (1) As at 30 April 2008. (2) Provided under an aircraft availability contract with industry; spares availability is not measured. 
		
	
	For Hercules C130, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 24 April 2008,  Official Report, column 2178W.

Television

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on  (a) commissioning and  (b) funding the production of television programmes (i) in each of the last three years and (ii) in 2008-09 to date; what programmes these were; and which companies made them.

Derek Twigg: The MOD does not generally fund the commissioning or production of any television programmes. Documentaries are funded by the television companies that pay for additional use of MOD assets.
	The Ministry of Defence has, however, partially funded one television series in the period stated. This series was entitled 'Everest—Man to Man' and was jointly funded by the Army and the Bravo television channel. The Army invested £230,000 in the Bravo production, which was a six part documentary showing the variety and challenges of life in the service and the quality and training of personnel.

Wood

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how much timber and how many timber products were procured by his Department in each of the last five years; and at what cost;
	(2)  how much timber and how many timber products were procured by his Department originating from independently verified legal and sustainable sources or from a licensed FLEGT partner in each of the last five years; and at what cost.

Derek Twigg: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	MOD policy requires that all timber or wood-containing products, excluding paper, paper products and card, must be procured from legal sources. In addition, every effort is to be made to acquire these items from a sustainable source. Where practicable, the use of reclaimed, re-used or recycled timber or timber products should be considered.
	These requirements have been published in a Department Timber Strategy which can be found on the MOD website at
	http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/WhatWeDo/HealthandSafety/DSC/ModTimberStrategy.htm
	This strategy incorporates the revised Government requirements for procurement of timber, which will apply from 2009 and 2015 respectively.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Community Infrastructure Levy

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the community infrastructure levy will be chargeable upon extensions to domestic dwellings.

Iain Wright: Our publication on the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) published on 24 January set out, at paragraph 78, that the Government do not intend that CIL liability will arise in relation to householder development by homeowners.
	The 24 January CIL publication "The Community Infrastructure Levy" is available in the House Library.
	Further announcements on the CIL will be made shortly.

Geographical Information Systems

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she will publish the national strategy for geographical information; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: It is expected that 'Place Matters: The Location Strategy for the United Kingdom' will be published, with a full statement, before the summer recess.

Home Information Packs

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether she plans to issue a formal response to the Carsberg review on home information packs.

Caroline Flint: Sir Bryan Carsberg's report stresses the importance of improving both information and service provision through better regulation.
	We will consider Sir Bryan's recommendations in conjunction with the Stakeholder Panel on Home Buying and Selling.

Homelessness

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the level of homelessness was in each region in each of the last 10 years, broken down by  (a) ethnicity and  (b) disability.

Iain Wright: Information about English local authorities' actions under the homelessness legislation is collected quarterly at local authority level.
	Information collected includes the number of households accepted by local housing authorities as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need, and therefore owed a main homelessness duty (to secure that suitable accommodation is available). If a settled home is not immediately available, the authority must secure temporary accommodation until a settled home becomes available.
	National and regional data on acceptances and temporary accommodation are published in our quarterly statistical release on Statutory Homelessness. This is published on our website and placed in the Library each quarter. The latest release was published on 12 June 2008, and provides national and regional acceptance figures in table 3, and temporary accommodation figures in table 7, both dating back to 1997:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/840324.xls
	Information collected on acceptances includes details on  (a) the ethnicity of the applicant, and  (b) acceptances found to be in priority need through vulnerable due to the applicant or member of the household having a physical disability or mental illness/disability. Though the information is collected on a quarterly basis, extracting 10 years worth of data would exceed disproportionate cost thresholds. We have provided three years worth of data in the answer: for 1998-99 (10 years ago), 2003-04 (when total acceptances peaked), and 2007-08 (the most recent year for which data are available).
	 (a) Table 1 shows the total number of accepted households in each region by ethnicity 1998-99, 2003-04 and 2007-08:
	
		
			  Table 1: Households accepted as owed a main homelessness duty, by ethnicity 
			   1998-99 
			   White  Black  Asian  Other ethnicity  Not stated  Total acceptances 
			 North East 4,080 — 30 30 330 4,460 
			 North West 10,000 220 400 220 2,260 13,090 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 7,040 150 400 210 410 8,200 
			 East Midlands 6,710 140 370 80 350 7,650 
			 West Midlands 11,350 810 1,080 300 440 13,990 
			 East of England 7,810 130 170 170 400 8,690 
			 London 11,510 5,340 2,430 5,070 2,240 26,590 
			 South East 11,310 220 350 280 520 12,660 
			 South West 8,440 90 50 80 270 8,930 
			 England 78,250 7,090 5,280 6,440 7,200 104,270 
		
	
	
		
			   2003-04 
			   White  Black  Asian  Other ethnic origin  Not known  Total acceptances 
			 North East 7,630 100 80 150 400 8,350 
			 North West 15,250 630 660 620 880 18,040 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 11,500 440 470 1,470 2,300 16,190 
			 East Midlands 7,950 410 420 290 530 9,600 
			 West Midlands 11,730 1,230 1,280 680 680 15,600 
			 East of England 9,670 230 280 470 540 11,190 
			 London 11,100 9,210 3,310 4,850 1,620 30,080 
			 South East 13,220 350 440 560 590 15,150 
			 South West 10,030 350 80 360 400 11,230 
			 England 98,080 12,960 7,020 9,430 7,930 135,420 
		
	
	
		
			   2007-08 
			   White  Black  Asian  Mixed ethnicity  Other ethnicity  Not stated  Total acceptances 
			 North East 3,370 70 80 20 40 40 3,600 
			 North West 7,170 390 320 140 190 330 8,540 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 5,540 370 380 150 150 760 7,350 
			 East Midlands 4,120 270 190 110 50 40 4,780 
			 West Midlands 6,100 850 850 270 290 790 9,160 
			 East of England 5,130 240 200 90 60 200 5,910 
			 London 5,340 4,320 1,590 520 1,070 960 13,800 
			 South East 4,740 220 190 80 80 200 5,510 
			 South West 4,000 180 50 60 40 210 4,520 
			 England 45,490 6,900 3,860 1,430 1,980 3,510 63,170 
			  Note: Some totals may differ slightly from those in the Statistical Release, due to rounding 
		
	
	 (b) Table 2 shows the number of accepted households in each region where the priority need category was being vulnerable as a result of (i) physical disability and (ii) mental illness or disability in 1998-99, 2003-04, and 2007-08:
	
		
			  Table 2: Households accepted as owed a main homelessness duty, by priority need category 
			   Applicant/household vulnerable due to: 
			   (i) Physical disability  (ii) Mental illness or disability  All priority need categories 
			  1998-99
			 North East 170 180 4,460 
			 North West 390 650 13,090 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 240 430 8,200 
			 East Midlands 250 310 7,650 
			 West Midlands 500 670 13,990 
			 East of England 420 800 8,690 
			 London 1,820 2,480 26,590 
			 South East 660 1,240 12,660 
			 South West 530 500 8,930 
			 England 4,980 7,250 104,270 
			 
			  2003-04
			 North East 310 580 8,350 
			 North West 730 1,290 18,040 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 590 1,120 16,190 
			 East Midlands 360 610 9,600 
			 West Midlands 610 950 15,600 
			 East of England 680 1,400 11,190 
			 London 2,230 3,100 30,080 
			 South East 880 1,620 15,150 
			 South West 740 1,410 11,230 
			 England 7,120 12,070 135,420 
			 
			  2007-08
			 North East 160 170 3,600 
			 North West 380 510 8,540 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 330 470 7,350 
			 East Midlands 190 270 4,780 
			 West Midlands 330 450 9,160 
			 East of England 310 480 5,910 
			 London 800 970 13,800 
			 South East 320 450 5,510 
			 South West 280 360 4,520 
			 England 3,090 4,140 63,170 
			  Note: Some totals may differ slightly from those in the Statistical Release, due to rounding 
		
	
	Information collected on households in temporary accommodation does not contain detailed ethnicity or disability details, but, since 2006-07, does provide the number of households where the applicant belonged to an ethnic minority group. Table 3 shows the number of ethnic minority households in temporary accommodation by region since 2006-07.
	
		
			  Table 3: Total households in temporary accommodation, at end of each financial year, by ethnicity 
			   2006-07  2007-08 
			   Total in TA  Of which:  ethnic minority  Total in TA  Of which:  ethnic minority 
			 North East 450 10 360 20 
			 North West 2,380 470 2,190 490 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 2,050 220 1,790 270 
			 East Midlands 2,050 160 1,330 110 
			 West Midlands 1,620 230 1,550 450 
			 East of England 5,190 330 4,290 270 
			 London 59,810 35,900 55,500 36,090 
			 South East 8,440 960 6,320 800 
			 South West 5,140 330 4,180 240 
			 England 87,120 38,610 77,510 38,740 
		
	
	Since 1998, information has been collected on the number of people who sleep rough—that is, those who are literally roofless on a single night. A table showing rough sleeper counts by region for the past 10 years is available in the Library of the House.
	Details on rough sleeper ethnicities and disabilities are not collected centrally.

Housing: Construction

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many new dwellings have been built in each region in the last three years; and what estimate her Department has made of the number of new dwellings which will be completed in the next two years.

Iain Wright: The following table shows annual new house building completions in each region in England between 2005-06 and 2007-08.
	
		
			  Region  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 North East 7,637 8,193 7,976 
			 North West 20,619 18,110 19,174 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 16,035 16,391 15,669 
			 East Midlands 16,886 18,153 17,624 
			 West Midlands 16,191 15,101 13,520 
			 East 20,251 22,598 22,529 
			 London 18,809 21,997 19,854 
			 South East 28,209 27,578 30,502 
			 South West 18,761 19,456 20,653 
			 England 163,398 167,577 167,501 
			  Source:  P2/P2a house building returns from local authorities and National House Building Council on new build completions. 
		
	
	The Department does not publish forecasts for house building.

Housing: Low Incomes

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many affordable houses are forecast to be built in settlements of less than 10,000 in  (a) 2008,  (b) 2009 and  (c) 2010;
	(2)  how many affordable homes in settlements of less than 10,000 were completed in each year since 1997.

Iain Wright: We have substantially increased our investment in affordable housing, with 8.4 billion being invested initially through the Housing Corporation, and then the Homes and Communities Agency over the next three years. This is planned to deliver 70,000 affordable homes a year by 2010-11, of which 45,000 will be for social rent.
	We have set the Housing Corporation a target to provide 10,300 affordable homes in settlements of less than 3,000 between 2008-09 and 2010-11. We have not set any targets for settlements of between 3,000 and 10,000.
	We have only partial information on affordable housing completions in settlements of between 3,000 and 10,000, which would not provide a representative picture.

Housing: Rodents

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will place in the Library a copy of the background data on rodent presence in domestic properties collected as part of each of the English House Condition Survey reports since 1997.

Joan Ruddock: I have been asked to reply.
	The report on the 1996 data was published in 1999 as: MAFF (1999) Rodent infestations in domestic properties in England: a report arising from the 1996 English House Condition Survey. Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Crown Copyright 1999. PB 4822. A copy of this was placed in the House of Commons Library at the time.
	The 2001 report is available on the DEFRA website. I will arrange for a copy to be placed in the House of Commons Library.
	A further report on 2002-04 will be available soon.

Housing: Standards

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether she plans to revise her targets for the decent homes standard to be met by 2010; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: The Government remain committed to making all social housing decent and to increasing the proportion of private housing in decent condition occupied by vulnerable groups. Some social landlords will need to go beyond 2010 to make their stock decent, and individual dates have been agreed. But based on returns from social landlords, we are currently still expecting 95 per cent. decency by 2010. Progress towards meeting the private sector decent homes target is ahead of trajectory.

Housing: Thermal Insulation

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what research her Department has evaluated on the effect of installation of cavity wall insulation on dampness in buildings.

Iain Wright: The Government have conducted research on the subject of driving rain and damp penetration through cavity walls and this work was published within Building Research Establishment (BRE) Digest 127'Index of exposure to driving rain', and the BRE booklet'Rain penetration of cavity walls: report of a survey of properties in England and Wales'.
	This research formed part of the evidence which led to the development and revision of two relevant British Standards; BS 8208 Part 1:1985 'Guide to assessment of suitability of external cavity walls for filling with thermal insulation', and BS 8104: 1992'Code of practice for assessing exposure of walls to wind-driven rain'. A simplified version of these British Standards is incorporated within Building Regulations Approved Document Part C'Site preparation and resistance to contaminants and moisture'.

Multiple Occupation

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the  (a) number and  (b) proportion of homes converted to multiple occupancy in each local authority area in each year since 1997.

Iain Wright: The information requested is not held centrally.

Travelling People: Caravan Sites

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make a statement on the implications of recent High Court ruling in relation to the unauthorised Traveller camp on green belt land at Crays Hill, Essex; and whether she plans to revise planning regulation or guidance as a result.

Iain Wright: The High Court judgment handed down on 9 May 2008 is a matter for those who were party to the claims made to the High Court. The Secretary of State is not party to the claim and does not intend to make a statement. The Independent Task Group on Site Provision and Enforcement examined the Government's planning framework for Gypsies and Travellers and found it to be essentially sound. There are currently no plans to revise it.

Travelling People: East of England

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the evidential basis is for the projection in the East of England Single Issue Revision Consultation that the Gypsy and Traveller population in the east of England will show an annual increase of 3 per cent. in the future.

Iain Wright: The East of England Regional Assembly published in February 2008 its draft Single Issue Review Planning for Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation in the East of England. This will be subject to an Examination in Public in October 2008.
	Guidance on assessing the likely growth in household formation for the period beyond 2011 is contained in the document Preparing Regional Spatial Strategy reviews on Gypsies and Travellers by regional planning bodies, published in March 2007, a copy of which is available on the Department's website. This report stated that a household growth rate of 3 per cent. a year compound would provide the best indication of long-term requirements in assessing the future need for Gypsy and Traveller pitches.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Leonard Cheshire Foundation: Finance

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he last met representatives of Leonard Cheshire Disability to discuss their funding.

Phil Hope: Ministers meet many people as part of the process of policy development and advice. It is not normal practice to disclose details of such meetings.

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Children's Centres

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the effects of children's centres to local communities.

Beverley Hughes: There is a comprehensive national level evaluation of Sure Start in place, which began in January 2001 and will run until 2010. To date 27 reports have been published, including the latest Impact Study findings in March 2008. These can be found at
	http://www.surestartgov.uk/research/evaluations/ness/nesspublications/.
	The findings of the latest Impact Study evaluation conducted when the children were three years old found that living in an area with a Children's Centre that was formerly a Sure Start Local Programme (SSLP) was associated with positive impacts on five of the 14 outcomes investigated. Children living in former SSLP areas exhibited more positive social behaviour and greater independence/self regulation, while parents made greater use of support services, exhibited less negative parenting and provided a better home learning environment. The analysis of the most recent data shows beneficial effects for almost all children and families living in SSLP areas and provides almost no evidence of adverse effects on population sub-groups such as workless or lone parent families.

Pre-School Education: Finance

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 19 June 2008,  Official Report, column 1150W, on Pre-School Education: Finance, whether the expenditure shown in the answer includes funding awarded to increase the early years entitlement to 15 hours per week.

Beverley Hughes: Local authorities spent 246,003 on increasing the free early years entitlement to 15 hours per week in 2006-07 and were allocated in excess of 45 million in 2007-08 for the same purpose. These sums are in addition to the 3.6 billion for 2006-07 and 4.0 billion for 2007-08.

Vocational Guidance

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent steps the Government have taken to improve career and further education guidance to young people.

Beverley Hughes: Connexions services were transferred to local authorities in April. This will help to clarify and reinforce shared responsibilities locally for young people's information, advice and guidance (IAG). It will also facilitate the development of better integrated services more attuned to local needs. The Education and Skills Bill will make the delivery of Connexions services a statutory duty of local authorities. It also requires schools to deliver careers education impartially and to have regard to principles of careers education and to good practice guidance linked to the principles.
	In March the Secretary of State wrote to all local authorities, setting out his expectations for the Improvement of IAG, emphasising their key role within 14-19 partnerships for improving IAG to young people on learning options. Furthermore strong emphasis on IAG in the Diploma Gateway process has meant that only those consortia with effective IAG provision are able to deliver the new Diplomas.
	The aforementioned measures provide a context through which the quality of provision will be raised. Further improvements are being made through
	The launch, in April 2008, of the new IAG support programme which will provide online support and resources, including good practice materials, briefing on key learning and careers issues and high quality careers materials for use in the classroom. The programme also includes the development of an online guide for practitioners which will provide up-to-date, impartial information on learning options that can be printed off for young people and their parents and carers.
	The commissioning of research in 2008 that will help us to profile the skills gaps of careers coordinators in schools. This will, in due course, lead to the development of new continuing professional development provision for careers staff.
	The publication by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) of a new 'Framework for Economic Well-being 11-19: career, work-related learning and enterprise'.
	The commissioning of the Training and Development Agency (TDA) to review the support that they provide for the delivery of careers education in schools.
	The development of arrangements for the provision of a free consultancy service, which will help 14-19 consortia to map their provision against the IAG quality standards and evaluate their strengths and weaknesses. Consortia will be able to draw down help from the Diploma support programme to help them to respond to identified weaknesses.

BUSINESS, ENTERPRISE AND REGULATORY REFORM

Animal Welfare: Departmental Responsibilities

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will consider the merits of ensuring  (a) the disclosure of non-commercially sensitive information and data in product records relating to animal testing of cosmetics and  (b) the sharing of such data to avoid the need for repeat experiments in respect of European Council Directive 76/768.

Gareth Thomas: The seventh amendment to the cosmetics directive introduced a requirement that data on animal testing relating to cosmetic products or their ingredients, and performed by manufacturers, their agents or suppliers, be included in the product information accessible to the competent authorities (Article 7a(1)(h)). This requirement is now contained in the Cosmetic Product (Safety) Regulations 2008 Article 16(1)(i).
	However, the UK has operated a voluntary ban on the testing of cosmetic products on animals since 1996. This ban was made compulsory on 11 September 2004, with the implementation of the Cosmetic Products (Safety) Regulations 2004 (SI 2004/2152), which implement the seventh amendment to the EU Council directive on the safety of cosmetic products and which introduced a ban on the testing of cosmetic products in the EU.
	By March 2009, cosmetic manufacturers will no longer be able to use animals to test any ingredients or combinations of ingredients for cosmetic purposes, even if alternative methods are unavailable. The same deadline sees the introduction of a marketing ban in the Union on any cosmetic product whose ingredients have been tested on animals. The only exception will be certain toxicity tests for which the deadline has been extended for four years to 2013.
	At present virtually the only tests on cosmetic ingredients that are carried out in the EU relate to substances which are already in use in cosmetics and for which safety concerns have been raised, either by or to the Scientific Committee on Consumer Products. If regarded as necessary, any animal tests would normally be carried out by a test house on behalf of the pan-European industry, in collaboration with the Commission and the SCCP.

Consumer Direct: Finance

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2008,  Official Report, column 251W, on non-departmental public bodies: finance, to the hon. Member for Brent East, what the budgeted operating cost for Consumer Direct is for 2008-09.

Gareth Thomas: Consumer Direct's allocated budget has now been agreed and will be 16.7 million for 2008-09. The budget for 2006-07 and 2007-08 was 19 million.
	Consumer Direct is currently expanding its service to handle first-tier consumer advice calls in both the energy and postal sectors as of 1 October 2008. The budget stated above does not include a provision for these additional calls. Funding for these calls will be provided in the first instance by BERR and recovered from industry via a licence fee. The details are still being finalised by BERR, but there is an undertaking that Consumer Direct's extra costs will be covered.

Direct Selling: Greater London

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform which London boroughs have cold calling-free zones.

Gareth Thomas: This decision to set up a cold calling control zone is for local authorities. The Government do not collect this information centrally.

Labelling

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will make a statement on the regulations governing food and clothing labelling in the UK; and whether there is a requirement to include country of origin on clothing.

Gareth Thomas: The Textile Products (Indications of Fibre Content) (Amendment) Regulations 1986 require that all textile products bear an accurate indication of their fibre content and that the indication should consist only of permitted generic names for fibres. A textile product is a product which contains at least 80 per cent. by weight of textile fibres.
	Generally speaking, there is no requirement in the law of the UK to include the origin, care or size of textile products. There is nothing to prevent voluntary labelling on those matters but this would be subject to the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008, which require traders not to mislead consumers.
	Food labelling regulations are a matter for the Department of Health.

Overseas Trade: China

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps he  (a) has taken and  (b) plans to take to increase trade between the United Kingdom and China; how much his Department spent on trade promotion between the United Kingdom and China in 2007-08; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The information is as follows.
	 (a) My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform joined my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister at the January 2008 UK-China Summit with Premier Wen in Beijing, where a new bilateral trade target was agreed of $60 billion trade in goods and services by 2010. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State also attended a parallel business summit, with accompanying business matching eventthe first large joint initiative arising out of a bilateral Memorandum of Understanding signed in June 2007 to help promote more balanced bilateral trade between the UK and China. My right hon. Friend also visited Hong Kong and Shenzhen, China on 4-6 June to meet influential business and government leaders, and to promote the strengths of UK business.
	 (b) My right hon. Friend is expected to lead a business delegation to Beijing this autumn to discuss market access issues and practical initiatives to promote bilateral and more balanced trade at the next meeting of the annual bilateral Joint Economic Trade Commission.
	UK Trade and Investment spent 3.213 million on trade promotion in 2007-08, including 1.7 million in grant in aid to the China-Britain Business Council.

Post Offices: Closures

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what advice he has received on the extent to which state aid to the Post Office is permissible under EU law.

Gareth Thomas: The UK Government already compensate Post Office Ltd for the provision of Services of General Economic Interest (SGEI). The legal base for this is the Community Framework for State Aid in the form of public service compensation. The compensation enables Post Office Ltd to maintain a network beyond its optimum commercial size and provide the services required of it by the Government.
	Any further public funding of individual post offices would need to be assessed on a case by case basis for its compatibility with the state aid rules.

TREASURY

Banks

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to publish the draft Banking Reform Bill; and if he will make a statement.

Kitty Ussher: We will be publishing a further consultation on our banking reform proposals shortly, and intend additionally to publish some draft clauses on a consultative basis before the House rises for the summer recess. The Government intend to bring forward the legislation this autumn.

Banks: Iran

William Hague: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps are planned to be taken through the Financial Action Task Force to ensure that certain Iranian banks cannot abuse the international banking system to support proliferation activities and terrorism.

Kitty Ussher: The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has expressed concern that the Islamic Republic of Iran's lack of a comprehensive regime for anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) represents a significant vulnerability within the international financial system. In addition to its role in setting and monitoring standards for AML/CFT in general, the FATF has warned the financial sector of the risks posed by Iran and advised jurisdictions on implementation of the financial provisions of UN Security Council Resolutions relating to Iran's nuclear activities.
	The FATF issued statements on Iran in October 2007 and February 2008. These statements warn businesses in the financial sector about the heightened risks of money laundering or terrorist financing arising from the deficiencies in Iran's AML/CFT regime, and recommend that they apply increased scrutiny and due diligence to transactions associated with Iran. The FATF has also met Iranian authorities to discuss measures to improve Iran's AML/CFT regime. The FATF is keeping the risk posed by Iran under review and discussed progress at its meetings in London this month. In response to these FATF statements, HM Treasury has issued advisory notices to UK businesses on the heightened risk of money laundering or terrorist financing from Iran.
	At its June 2008 meeting in London, the FATF reaffirmed its public statement of 28 February 2008 regarding the anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism risks posed by Uzbekistan, Iran, Pakistan, Turkmenistan and So Tom and Principe, and the northern part of Cyprus. It welcomed the actions taken by its members to advise their financial institutions of these risks, and noted it was concerned about the lack of progress by, in particular, Uzbekistan and Iran. The FATF will continue to assess the situation and take further actions in October, as necessary, to protect the international financial system.
	The FATF has also produced guidance on implementation of the financial provisions of UN Security Council Resolutions relating to Iran's nuclear activities. The FATF published Guidance in July 2007 on Implementing Financial Provisions Of UN Security Council Resolutions To Counter Proliferation Of Weapons Of Mass Destruction, including guidance on implementing targeted asset freezes as required by UNSCR 1747. In October 2007 the FATF published Guidance Regarding The Implementation Of Activity-Based Financial Prohibitions Of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1737; advising jurisdictions on preventive measures to guard against the use of the financial system to support Iran's nuclear programmes.
	A new mandate for the FATF has been agreed under the UK presidency which recognises its increased role in combating proliferation finance. The FATF will shortly publish a typology study on proliferation finance, detailing the extent of the threat and the methodologies used by proliferators.

Goldman Sachs

Greg Hands: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department paid in consultants' fees and other payments to Goldman Sachs in each year since 1997.

Angela Eagle: A new accounting system was introduced in 2002-03 and data on transactions prior to that date could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	No record of any payments could be found for the period 2002-03 to 2006-07.
	Goldman Sachs was jointly engaged by HM Treasury and the Financial Services Authority to provide financial advice on Northern Rock in September 2007. The Treasury plans to publish information at a later date about the cost of the advice it received in relation to Northern Rock, including financial advice. As the Chancellor informed the chairs of the Treasury Committee and Public Accounts Committee on 11 October 2007, Northern Rock has indemnified the Treasury in respect of certain costs and expenses, including adviser costs.

Ordnance Survey: Databases

Bob Neill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what datasets and property attributes the Valuation Office Agency supplies to Ordnance Survey for the Ordnance Survey MasterMap Address Layer 2 product.

Jane Kennedy: The Valuation Office Agency supplies Ordnance Survey with the published council tax address lists and non-domestic rating lists for England and Wales.

Ordnance Survey: Databases

Bob Neill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what Ordnance Survey datasets and mapping products the Valuation Office Agency uses.

Jane Kennedy: The Valuation Office Agency uses the following Ordnance Survey products and datasets:
	1: 10 000 Scale Raster
	1: 50 000 Scale Colour Raster
	1: 250 000 Scale Colour Raster
	Land-Line Plus
	OS MasterMap Topography Layer
	OS MasterMap Address Layer
	OS MasterMap Address Layer 2
	ADDRESS POINT
	Boundary Line
	Code Point with Polygons.

Smuggling: Northern Ireland

David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the size of the illicit market for  (a) cigarettes,  (b) spirits,  (c) diesel and  (d) petrol in Northern Ireland in each of the last two years.

Angela Eagle: The size of the illicit markets for cigarettes and spirits is not estimated separately for Northern Ireland. Figures for the UK were published by HMRC in 'Measuring Indirect Tax Losses2007' in October 2007. The two most recent years covered were 2004-05 and 2005-06. This publication is available in the House of Commons Library.
	Because of difficulties in measuring cross-border shopping across the border with the Republic of Ireland, it is not possible to produce estimates of the illicit market for Northern Ireland in diesel and petrol. However, estimates of the share of these markets in Northern Ireland that are not UK-duty paid were also published in 'Measuring Indirect Tax Losses2007'. The two most recent years covered were 2004-05 and 2005-06.

Smuggling: Northern Ireland

David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the estimated total revenue loss was as a result of illegal trading in  (a) cigarettes,  (b) spirits,  (c) diesel,  (d) petrol and  (e) counterfeit goods in Northern Ireland in each of the last two years.

Angela Eagle: The total revenue losses as a result of illegal trading in cigarettes and spirits are not estimated separately for Northern Ireland. Figures for the UK were published by HMRC in 'Measuring Indirect Tax Losses2007' in October 2007. The two most recent years covered were 2004-05 and 2005-06. This publication is available in the House of Commons Library.
	Because of difficulties in measuring cross-border shopping across the border with the Republic of Ireland, it is not possible to produce estimates of the total revenue loss as a result of illegal trading in diesel and petrol for Northern Ireland. However, estimates of the share of these markets in Northern Ireland that are non-UK duty paid were also published in 'Measuring Indirect Tax Losses2007'. The two most recent years covered were 2004-05 and 2005-06.
	These estimates include all forms of illicit activity and do not separately identify each of the component parts such as counterfeiting, smuggling or fraud.

JUSTICE

Bail Accommodation and Support Service: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will place in the Library representations received in the last 12 months by the East of England Regional Offender Manager in respect of the ClearSprings contract for bail accommodation in Peterborough from  (a) Peterborough city council,  (b) Cambridgeshire Probation Service and  (c) Cambridgeshire Constabulary; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: The East of England Regional Offender Manager advises that he has received no representation from Peterborough city council, Cambridgeshire Probation Service or Cambridgeshire Constabulary in the last 12 months in relation to the ClearSprings contract for bail accommodation in Peterborough.

Cemeteries

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will place in the Library a copy of the guidance issued by his Department to local authorities on health and safety inspections of memorials and the staking of gravestones.

Bridget Prentice: A joint letter providing guidance on the need for a sensitive and proportionate response to unstable memorials was issued to all burial authorities in March 2007. A copy has been placed in the Library. We are currently considering with the Health and Safety Executive and stakeholders whether any additional guidance in this area would be helpful.

Departmental Buildings

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department spent on  (a) new capital investment and  (b) refurbishment of property in each of the last 10 years, broken down by project.

Michael Wills: The information requested has been placed in the Library of the House. The answer only takes account of those bodies that are within the Ministry's accounting boundary. It therefore excludes NDPBs.
	Annexe A sets out the expenditure incurred by the Ministry of Justice (HQ) in refurbishing the Supreme Court Building.
	Her Majesty's Court Service did not exist prior to April 2005. Figures are therefore only available for the least three years and are set out in Annexes B and C.
	Expenditure by Her Majesty's Prison Service on new capital investment/refurbishment of property in each of the last 10 years by project is set out in Annexes D and E.
	The Tribunals Service and Office of the Public Guardian have incurred no expenditure on new capital investment/refurbishment of property during the period they have been in existence.
	Aggregated information on how much was spent on new capital investment and refurbishment of property in each of the last 10 years, broken down by project in each of the past 10 years, is not held centrally by NOMS HQ and the National Probation Service.

Departmental Buildings

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the value of the property held by  (a) his Department and  (b) associated public bodies was at the most recent date for which figures are available.

Michael Wills: The value of property held by  (a) the Ministry is 7,154,531,000 and  (b) associated public bodies is 3,089,176,062. These figures are taken from the Ministry of Justice's draft 2007-08 Resource Accounts which are, as yet, still subject to National Audit Office approval.
	The Departmental value includes MOJ HQ and NOMS HQ. The NOMS HQ value includes the National Probation Service and Her Majesty's Prison Service estate whose property is held under the NOMS estate and is not disclosed within their individual published accounts.
	The associated bodies' value is comprised of the Tribunals Service, the Office of the Public Guardian (nil value) and Her Majesty's Courts Service. NDPBs are bodies outside the accounting boundary of the Ministry and have been excluded from this answer.

Departmental Buildings

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how frequently his Department restates the asset values of its building estate.

Michael Wills: Land and buildings are included in the Ministry of Justice accounts on the basis of professional valuations which are conducted for each property at least once every five years. Each property is indexed annually in the years when a professional valuation has not been carried out.

Departmental Buildings

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) new builds and  (b) major refurbishments were completed by his Department for a cost in excess of 0.5 million in (i) 2005-06, (ii) 2006-07 and (iii) 2007-08 to which the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method or equivalent was applied; how many such buildings were assessed as (A) pass, (B) good, (C) very good and (D) excellent; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Wills: The information is as follows:
	 HMCS
	BREAAM is considered within the Court Building Design Guide and an integral part of process within all major refurbishment's and new builds.
	
		
			  HMCS   BREAAM registered  Rating A  Rating B  Rating C  Rating D 
			  2005-6 4   3 1 
			  2006-7 3   1 2 
			  2007-8 (1) 
			  (2)2008 (1) 
			 NOMS 2005-6 3  1   
			  2006-7 10   2  
			  2007-8 29 
			  2008(2) 20 
			 (1) Not known. (2) To date. 
		
	
	 HMPS/NOMS
	The period between registration and the award of a BREEAM certificate can take up to two years.
	Noted from the above figures that a total of three schemes only have so far been awarded a certificate. Custodial property is currently reviewing this situation to establish the current status of the outstanding registrations with a view to achieving certification.

Departmental Buildings

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) new builds and (b) major refurbishments for a cost in excess of 0.5 million were completed by his Department and its predecessor in (i) 2005-06, (ii) 2006-07 and (iii) 2007-08.

Michael Wills: The number of new builds and major refurbishments with a value of excess of 0.5 million completed by the Ministry and its predecessor in (i) 2005-06 (ii) 2006-07 and (iii) 2007-08 is set out in the following table.
	
		
			   New Builds  Major Refurbishments 
			 2005-06 23 33 
			 2006-07 27 51 
			 2007-08 22 56 
		
	
	The answer only takes account of bodies that are within the Ministry's accounting boundary. It therefore excludes NDPBs.
	No new builds or major refurbishments with a value in excess of 0.5 million were completed in 2005-06, 2006-07 or 2007-08 in MOJ HQ, the Tribunals Service or the Office of the Public Guardian. There are no records held centrally by NOMS HQ and the National Probation Service on new builds/major refurbishments completed in 2005-06, 2006-07 and none were completed of that value in 2007-08.

Departmental Contracts

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 7 May 2008,  Official Report, columns 979-80W, on departmental contracts, on what grounds GVA Grimley obtained a reduction in the rating valuation and business rates bills of those properties which were courts.

Maria Eagle: The following properties were previously reported as having benefited from a reduction in national non-domestic rating bills:
	Barnet magistrates court;
	Bristol Greyfriars;
	Bury county court;
	Cambridge magistrates court;
	HMCS NE regional directors office;
	Manchester county court;
	Middlesex Guildhall Crown court;
	N and W Greater Manchester MCC offices;
	Northampton Bulk Issue Centre;
	Nuneaton county court;
	Royal Courts of Justice;
	Stourbridge county court.
	The following table lists those properties which were courts and the grounds for the reduction in rates bill:
	
		
			  Court  Grounds for rating reduction 
			 Barnet Magistrates Court Empty rates relief following vacation of building. 
			 Bristol Greyfriars (Bristol County Court) Rateable value reduced based on local comparator buildings of similar age size and condition 
			 Bury County Court Rateable value reduced based on local comparator buildings of similar age size and condition 
			 Cambridge Magistrates Court Rateable value reduced due to the temporary nature of the magistrates court building in Cambridge 
			 Manchester County Court Empty rates relief following vacation of building. 
			 Middlesex Guildhall Crown Court Empty rates relief following vacation of building. 
			 Northampton Bulk Issue Centre (County Court Bulk Centre) Rateable value reduced based on local comparator buildings of similar age size and condition 
			 Nuneaton County Court Rateable value reduced based on local comparator buildings of similar age size and condition 
			 Royal Courts of Justice Rateable value temporarily reduced whilst one building on the site is out of commission for refurbishment 
			 Stourbridge County Court Rateable value reduced based on local comparator buildings of similar age size and condition

Departmental Pay

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what proportion of staff in his Department received bonus payments in 2007; what the total amount of bonuses paid was; what the largest single payment was; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Wills: The core Ministry of Justice employs staff previously employed on several sets of different terms and conditions, each with their own legacy arrangements for bonus payments.
	The information provided as follows relates to former Department for Constitutional Affairs senior civil servants and grades below senior civil service level. For the years reported prior to 2007-08, the data exclude payments to magistrates courts staff (who became civil servants in this Department in April 2005, and whose terms and conditions did normally allow for payment of performance or special bonuses), staff in the Tribunals Service and those who joined the former DCA on 1 April 2006 from other Government Departments, about whom information is not available to us for years prior to 2007.
	
		
			  Senior civil service bonuses received during the past five years for staff on former DCA terms and conditions 
			  Paid in calendar year  Staff receiving bonuses  Proportion receiving bonuses (percentage)  Total amount awarded ()  Largest award () 
			 2003 43 46 170,557 6,500 
			 2004 69 72 268,900 11,200 
			 2005 105 84 537,687 12,690 
			 2006 118 79 821,750 17,500 
			 2007 116 77 866,500 22,500 
		
	
	No bonuses have yet been paid to members of the SCS during 2008.
	Bonus payments to staff below the SCS in the core Ministry of Justice are either 'performance bonuses' or 'special bonuses'.
	
		
			  Performance bonuses awarded during the past five years to staff on former DCA terms and conditions (not SCS) 
			  Awarded for performance in year  Paid in calendar year  Staff receiving bonuses  Proportion receiving bonuses (percentage)  Total amount awarded ()  Largest award () 
			 2002-03 2004 1,430 9 572,000 400 
			 2003-04 2005 1,881 13.3 752,400 400 
			 2004-05 2006 1,995 14.1 798,000 400 
			 2005-06 2007 1,848 13.2 739,000 400 
			 2006-07 2007 2,419 16.3 967,966 400 
			  Notes: 1. Performance bonuses are paid to staff who are assessed to have performed over and above the standard expected from them over the course of the whole performance year.  2. Data referring to proportion of staff receiving bonuses refer only to staff on relevant terms and conditions (i.e. only include former DCA and Court Service staff but exclude staff on magistrates courts terms and conditions).  3. Information on performance bonus payments for 2008 is not yet available. These payments are implemented as part of the annual pay award which will be paid in August.  4. The information contained above excludes payments to staff on Home Office terms and conditions who transferred to the Ministry of Justice with the establishment of the Ministry in May 2007. Details of any payments to these staff are included in the answer provided to this question by the Home Office. 
		
	
	
		
			  Special bonuses received during the past five years for staff on former DCA terms and conditions (not SCS) 
			  Paid in financial year  Staff receiving bonuses  Proportion receiving bonuses (percentage)  Total amount awarded ()  Largest award () 
			 2002-03 995 7 253,258  
			 2003-04 447 3.1 343,347  
			 2004-05 1,649 11.6 412,898 5,304 
			 2005-06 1,809 12.8 487,753 5,000 
			 2006-07 3,773 31 894,169 5,000 
			 2007-08(1) 5,327 19 2,348,520 4,000 
			 (1 )Reflects increased staff complementsee note 5. 1. Special bonuses are paid to staff 'in year' for exceptional contribution over and above that normally expected.  2. Data shown in the table shows payments for each financial year from 2002-03. Comprehensive information is not yet available for 2007-08.  3. Data covering largest award is not available prior to 2004 when the current recognition and reward scheme was launched.  4. Proportions refer to the number of staff eligible to be awarded special bonuses under their terms and conditions.  5. 2007-08 data covers from 1 April 2007 to 31 May 2008. From 1 August 2007 staff eligible for bonuses under this scheme included staff on former MCS terms and conditions and those staff who joined former DCA from the Tribunals Service. 
		
	
	HM Prison Service became an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice on 9 May 2007.
	Information on the number and proportion of staff receiving special bonuses, the total amount of bonuses awarded and the largest payment in each year within the public sector Prison Service is contained in the following table. Payments made to staff as part of the normal staff appraisal system are not included.
	
		
			  Public sector Prison Service special bonuses recorded 2003-04 to  June 2007 
			  Paid in financial year  Staff receiving bonuses  Proportion receiving bonuses (percentage)  Total amount awarded ()  Largest award () 
			 2002-03 1,268 3 463,449 4,000 
			 2003-04 1,983 4 740,443 4,000 
			 2004-05 3,375 7 868,594 5,000 
			 2005-06 3,004 6 983,273 15,802 
			 2006-07 2,432 5 873,141 5,000 
			 2007/08 3,607 7 1,571,037 20,000 
			  Note:  Special bonus payments are now administered by the Prison Service's Shared Service Centre. Data are recorded directly through the payment process rather than as a separate manual process as was the case prior to 2007-08. This change in process has lead to the apparent increase in bonus payments in 2007-08. Incorrect coding of bonus payments is also known to have caused some distortion in special bonus statistics.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what research his Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the demographic profile of those people who are most likely not to be registered to vote; what the conclusions were of such research; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: The Government have not commissioned or evaluated any specific research on the demographic profile of people who are most likely not to be registered to vote. However, the Government did utilise some existing research in 2005 as a basis for further work towards identifying an evidence base for policy development and service targets.
	The Electoral Commission found in their report, 'Understanding Electoral Registration', published in September 2005 that the most likely electors not to be registered to vote included young people, those residing in private rented accommodation and those belonging to certain minority ethnic groups.
	Information arising out of the evidence base and the Electoral Commission's report were used to mount a registration campaign in London for 18 to 24-year-olds and to inform work on registration, which fed into various measures in the Electoral Administration Act 2006.

Electoral Register

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which organisations have made representations to his Department in favour of introducing individual electoral registration.

Bridget Prentice: A number of organisations including the Electoral Commission, the Association of Electoral Administrators, the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives and Senior Managers and the European Commission for Democracy through Law (the Venice Commission) have all made representations to the Ministry of Justice in favour of introducing individual registration. In addition, the Committee on Standards in Public Life recommended that the Government move towards a system of individual registration in Great Britain in its report of January 2007.
	The Government are committed to the principle of individual registration. But this will be a far-reaching reform, and it will need to be undertaken with great careboth to make sure a new system is robust, and to ensure that it properly tackles the problem of under-registration in Great Britain.

Electoral Register: Databases

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the latest timetable is for the Co-ordinated Online Record of Electors database to be fully operational; and which parts of the United Kingdom the database will cover.

Bridget Prentice: It is not possible for me to provide a firm date on which I expect CORE to be fully operational until the CORE keeper has been confirmed. The Electoral Commission is the Government's preferred choice to fulfil this role, and discussions between my officials and those in the Commission are continuing on this point. In the meantime good progress is being made: electoral register data standards are to be implemented by 1 December 2009. Throughout 2008 we will be talking to all users, including political parties and Electoral Registration Officers, to define the CORE Service Model. I expect this work to be completed in early 2009.
	The CORE service will cover England, Scotland and Wales.

Legal Advice and Assistance

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many community legal advice centres are  (a) funded and  (b) planned to be funded by the Legal Services Commission.

Maria Eagle: The Legal Services Commission (LSC) currently funds four community legal advice centres together with the relevant local authority. These are in Gateshead, Leicester, Derby and Portsmouth.
	A preferred bidder has been identified to run the community legal advice centre in Hull, due to come into operation shortly. The LSC is in active discussions with nine further local authorities about the possibility of jointly commissioning community legal advice centres or networks for their locality, with the aim of bringing them into operation before April 2010. These are: Barking and Dagenham, Cardiff, the Vale of Glamorgan and Bridgend, East Riding of Yorkshire, Gloucestershire, Manchester, Stockport, Sunderland, Wakefield and West Sussex.

Legal Advice and Assistance

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many contracts to run community legal advice centres have been awarded to Citizens Advice.

Maria Eagle: Citizens advice bureaux were part of the winning bid for three community legal advice centres, in Gateshead, Derby and Portsmouth.

Legal Advice and Assistance

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what criteria the Legal Services Commission applies to decide which organisations receive the contracts to run the new community legal advice centres.

Maria Eagle: The Legal Services Commission assesses bids to provide community legal advice centres against a list of essential and desirable criteria. The document setting out the detailed criteria has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Magistrates: Manpower

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many magistrates there were in each local authority area in England and Wales in  (a) 1996-97 and  (b) the most recent period for which figures are available.

Jack Straw: Magistrates are appointed and assigned to Local Justice Areas by Advisory Committees. Advisory Committee areas do not accord with local authority areas, and it is therefore not possible to provide an answer in the format requested. In  (a) 1996-97 figures were collected on a calendar year basis. Figures showing breakdown by Advisory Committee are not available for those two years.
	There were 30,326 magistrates at the year ending 31 December 1996. There were 30,374 magistrates at the year ending 31 December 1997.
	Figures are now collected on a financial-year basis. The following table provides a breakdown of the numbers of magistrates in each Advisory Committee area for the financial year ending 31 March 2008.
	
		
			  Advisory committee  Number 
			 Avon 311 
			 Barnsley 112 
			 Batley and Dewsbury 92 
			 Bedfordshire 309 
			 Berkshire 373 
			 Birmingham 420 
			 Bolton 199 
			 Bradford 300 
			 Bristol 280 
			 Buckinghamshire 373 
			 Bury 176 
			 Calderdale 146 
			 Cambridgeshire 363 
			 Carmarthen 144 
			 Central London 449 
			 Ceredigion 54 
			 Cheshire 476 
			 Clwyd 308 
			 Cornwall 192 
			 Coventry 235 
			 Cumbria 287 
			 Derbyshire 414 
			 Devon 354 
			 Doncaster 189 
			 Dorset 333 
			 Dudley 206 
			 Durham 289 
			 East Sussex 446 
			 Essex 613 
			 Gateshead 122 
			 Gloucestershire 246 
			 Gwent 325 
			 Gwynedd 105 
			 Hampshire 777 
			 Hereford and Worcester 477 
			 Hertfordshire 472 
			 Huddersfield 106 
			 Humberside 277 
			 Isle of Wight 69 
			 Keighley 123 
			 Kent 915 
			 Kingston on Hull 160 
			 Knowsley 76 
			 Lancashire 1,150 
			 Leeds 436 
			 Leicester 317 
			 Leicestershire 242 
			 Lincolnshire 373 
			 Liverpool 327 
			 Manchester 397 
			 Mid Glamorgan 244 
			 Newcastle on Tyne 251 
			 Norfolk 449 
			 North Cleveland 104 
			 North East London 620 
			 North Sefton 89 
			 North Tyneside 152 
			 North West London 787 
			 North Yorkshire 402 
			 Northamptonshire 435 
			 Northumberland 205 
			 Nottingham 436 
			 Nottinghamshire 300 
			 Oldham 179 
			 Oxfordshire 315 
			 Pembroke 68 
			 Plymouth 165 
			 Pontefract 86 
			 Powys 87 
			 Rochdale 185 
			 Rotherham 116 
			 Salford 176 
			 Sandwell 250 
			 Sheffield 307 
			 Shropshire 228 
			 Solihull 170 
			 Somerset 260 
			 South Cleveland 341 
			 South East London 629 
			 South Glamorgan 352 
			 South Sefton 132 
			 South Tyneside 116 
			 South West London 752 
			 St Helens 154 
			 Staffordshire 577 
			 Stockport 165 
			 Suffolk 272 
			 Sunderland 215 
			 Surrey 361 
			 Sutton Coldfield 130 
			 Tameside 161 
			 Trafford 156 
			 Wakefield 95 
			 Walsall 112 
			 Warwickshire 203 
			 West Glamorgan 252 
			 West Sussex 388 
			 Wigan 185 
			 Wiltshire 272 
			 Wirral 249 
			 Wolverhampton 149 
			 Total 29,419

Members: Correspondence

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he plans to reply to the letter of 28 March 2008 from the hon. Member for Warley on freedom of information.

Bridget Prentice: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor (Jack Straw) replied to the hon. Member for Warley (Mr. Spellar) on Monday 23 June 2008.

Offenders: Rehabilitation

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has to implement the recommendations of the Breaking the Circle report of the review of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

David Hanson: I refer the hon. Member to my answer on 5 June 2008,  Official Report, column 1111W. The Government undertook a review of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act in 2002 and published the document Breaking the Circle which set out proposals for reform of the Act. That paper made proposals for modifying disclosure periods for offences, and other changes to the operation of the Act. In 2003 the Government agreed that the proposals had merit and proposed to legislate when parliamentary time allowed. The position is now under review in the light of the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006, which was based on the recommendations of the Bichard report, and which makes changes to the disclosure situation for ex-offenders in many areas of employment.

Prison Sentences

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what proportion of people serving custodial sentences are serving an indeterminate sentence of imprisonment for public protection; and how many such people have been in custody for longer than their tariff.

David Hanson: On 30 April 2008 there were 67,614 prisoners in all prison establishments in England and Wales under immediate custodial sentence of which 4,250 (rounded to the nearest 50) were serving sentences of imprisonment for Public Protection, or 6 per cent. of the immediate custodial population. The total of 67,614 excludes fine defaulters, prisoners held on remand and non-criminal prisoners
	The Public Protection Unit of the National Offender Management Service, the pre-release section (PRS) maintains a limited database on those offenders sentenced to imprisonment for public protection (IPP). This indicates that, as at 30 April 2008, 756 such offenders were being held in prison beyond their tariff expiry date.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prisoners: Voting Rights

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to the answer by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Ministry of Justice of 6 May 2008,  Official Report,  House of Lords, columns 59-60WA, on Prisoners: Voting Rights, if he will place in the Library a copy of the information submitted so far to the Committee of Ministers.

Bridget Prentice: Further to the answer from my noble Friend Lord Hunt on 6 May 2008,  Official Report, House of Lords, columns 59-60WA, I have placed a copy of the information submitted to the Committee of Ministers about prisoners' voting rights in the Libraries of both Houses.

Prisons: Non-Domestic Rates

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether prisons pay charges to local authorities for the collection of rubbish generated by prisoners' dwellings on top of business rates.

Maria Eagle: Disposal of waste is a matter for local management across the prison estate. As prisons are much more than simply 'dwellings' for prisoners, the waste comes from several sources. There is the equivalent of domestic waste but there is additional waste generated by industrial, commercial, horticultural and office activities. The majority of prisons now sort waste for sale, recycling or re-use. When waste cannot be disposed of in this fashion, generally prisons arrange for commercial collection and disposal. There is one known exception, when a prison pays a collection charge to the local authority.

Prospect Project

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice in which towns the Prospect Project was located; what the cost was of each building used for the project; and which buildings are still in use.

David Hanson: The Prospect and projects were based in Bristol (two hostels, one male and one female), Exeter (one male), Preston (one male) and Merseyside (one male).
	Capital costs for the Prospects buildings programme were 8.539 million: Exeter 1.814 million, Bristol (male) 1.961 million, Bristol (female) 1.489 million, Preston 1.315 million and Merseyside 1.96 million.
	The programme has been in the process of being decommissioned since January, and four of the five properties were returned to the National Offender Management Service at the end of May. One property in Bristol is still being used to deliver the community- based aspect of the service for Bristol male and female accommodation.

Safety Belts: Children

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many persons have been prosecuted for offences relating to transporting children under the age of 12 years in vehicles without an appropriate car seat since September 2006, broken down by children of age  (a) seven and under,  (b) eight,  (c) nine,  (d) 10 and (e) 11 years; how many have been fined; and what the average fine was.

Maria Eagle: Available information held centrally by my Department on the prosecution of seat belt offences is not able to distinguish the age of persons not wearing a seat belt and does not indicate whether or not a booster cushion or child seat was available.

Television

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department spent on  (a) commissioning and  (b) funding the production of television programmes (i) in each of the last three years and (ii) in 2008-09 to date; what programmes these were; and which companies made them.

Maria Eagle: The Ministry of Justice has not commissioned or funded any television programmes over the last three years.

Voting Methods

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 6 May 2008,  Official Report, columns 794-5W, on voting methods, what assessment his Department or its predecessor Departments made of the effect of such weekend voting on turnout in these pilot schemes.

Michael Wills: A full assessment of the advance voting pilot in Camden in May 2002 was published by the Electoral Commission in its report 'Modernising Electionsa strategic evaluation of the 2002 electoral pilot schemes'. Manchester city council carried out its own assessment of its pilot scheme of May 2000.

INNOVATION, UNIVERSITIES AND SKILLS

Student Finance

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what assessment his Department has made of the financial effect on English students studying in Scotland of the proposals for a local income tax in Scotland.

Bill Rammell: As the Secretary of State for Scotland has made clear that a local income tax would not be local having been fixed centrally, and it will affect 55,000 students.

Science and Technology Facilities Council

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what recent discussions he has had with the Science and Technology Facilities Council on its budget.

Ian Pearson: As part of the Science settlement, STFC's budget will increase by 13.6 per cent. or 185 million to a total of 1.9 billion over the CSR period. I have not had recent discussions with the STFC on its budget. It will decide how much of its funding they spend on each of their programmes. The STFC is currently considering the findings of its own programmatic review before finalising the use of its allocated budget which it will publish on 8 July.

Research and Development

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what measures he has considered to improve the advice and support given by his Department to companies for research and development opportunities.

Ian Pearson: The DIUS White Paper Innovation Nation set out policy commitments including the aim to drive increased demand for innovative products through Government procurement, and to reform the Small Business Research Initiative.
	The White Paper also set out policy commitments to give an innovation voucher to at least 1,000 businesses a year by 2010-11 to double the number of Knowledge Transfer Partnerships, and to provide support for business innovation through the Technology Strategy Board and Energy Technologies Institute.

Apprentices

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what steps he is taking to ensure the quality of apprenticeships for young people and adults.

David Lammy: Raising quality is integral to our ambitious plans set out in World-Class Apprenticeships. We are establishing the National Apprenticeship Service from April 2009 to ensure the provision of high quality apprenticeships in England. It will have responsibility for building on the current excellent completion rate of 63 per cent. which has risen from 24 per cent. in 2001/02. In the meantime, the Learning and Skills Council is progressing with its work to agree minimum levels of performance for apprenticeships; developing a new blueprint which clearly defines the core elements of an apprenticeship and specific training requirements; and working with the new Learning and Skills Improvement Service to secure continuous improvement in the provision of apprenticeships.

Apprentices: Finance

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much funding was allocated for the development and maintenance of apprenticeships in the Chorley constituency in each year since 1997.

David Lammy: Information on Learning and Skills Council (LSC) funding allocated to Lancashire LSC for apprenticeships is provided in the following table. LSC funding data are only available from 2005/06 and by LSC area or individual learning provider.
	
		
			  Lancashire LSC apprenticeships funding allocation 
			   Apprenticeships funding allocation ( million) 
			 2005/06 23.5 
			 2006/07 25.2 
			 2007/08 26.4 
			  Source:  Learning and Skills Council.

Apprentices: Suffolk

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many apprenticeships were  (a) started and  (b) completed in Suffolk in each of the last five years.

David Lammy: The number of apprenticeship starts and completions in Suffolk in each of the last five years is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Apprenticeship starts and completions in Suffolk( 1)  local authority 
			   Starts  Completions 
			 2002/03 3,230 850 
			 2003/04 3,780 980 
			 2004/05 3,130 860 
			 2005/06 2,640 1,150 
			 2006/07 2,530 1,820 
			 (1) Area is based on the home postcode of the learner.  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Includes all ages and both apprenticeships and advanced apprenticeships.  Source: The LSC Individualised Learner Record

Departmental Training

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what training courses were  (a) available to and  (b) taken up by civil servants in his Department in the last 12 months.

David Lammy: The Department was formed on 28 June 2007 from the DTI (now BERR) and the DfES (now DCSF). The Department accesses a range of corporate and professional skills development activities through these former Departments, in addition to internal provision in DIUS and that procured through external suppliers. Provision includes access to formal classroom training, e-learning, coaching, mentoring, and short seminars on a range of subjects. We also ran over 30 learning and development activities on 22 May as part of Learning at Work Day, in which a quarter of our people participated.
	We link our learning and development provision to the Professional Skills for Government framework, the Government Skills Strategy and our business and improvement objectives enabling us to live the policies we prepare for Government.
	The Department places great emphasis on developing the skills of our people, and we are preparing a skills strategy for DIUS which will continue to ensure we focus our development effectively to deliver the DIUS skills agenda.
	Programmes which can be accessed support the following:
	Leadership Development
	Policy Development Skills
	Strategic Thinking
	Analysis and Use of Evidence
	Programme and Project Management
	Financial Management
	People Management
	Working with Ministers
	Drafting and Writing
	Communications
	Professional Qualifications such as accountancy.
	In addition, the DIUS regularly provides short business related seminars on key topic areas such as engagement and collaboration using social media and innovation through policy delivery.
	Our policy is to promote the development of our people through a wide range of innovative learning and development opportunities which are not reliant solely on formal classroom training.

Foundation Degrees

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many foundation degree courses in English institutions were previously on offer as higher national certificates and higher national diplomas.

Bill Rammell: This information is not held centrally. Higher national certificates and higher national diplomas have served employers well in the past, but the numbers applying for these courses have been declining in recent years. Foundation degrees are a modern qualification, developed in partnership with employers to address high-level skill needs, and their popularity is evident through the growth to 73,000 current students.

Further Education: Community Relations

Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what assessment he has made of the contribution further education colleges make to the promotion of community cohesion.

Bill Rammell: Further education colleges contribute in many ways to community cohesion with the delivery of ESOLEnglish for speakers of other languagestraining being the most direct. Many FE institutions also provide a key opportunity for young people and adults to mix with others who have different experiences, cultures and faiths, building understanding, tolerance and mutual respect. As a result, FE colleges have an important role in helping young people and adults develop a sense of shared values.

Higher Education: Admissions

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills if his Department will commission independent research to assess the effect on all socio-economic groups of his Department's widening participation initiatives relating to medical studies.

Bill Rammell: Aimhigher is our primary vehicle for widening participation in higher education. It has a comprehensive evaluation strategy in place which is designed to show the impact of the programme over time.
	The Department will not be commissioning specific research to assess the impact of widening participation initiatives relating to medicine. However, the Department monitors and analyses data by subject of study and socio-economic class.
	DIUS will be gathering evidence on access to the professions, including medicine, to feed into the independent review of fees.

Higher Education: Admissions

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what  (a) discussions he has had and  (b) steps he has taken with the Department of Health to improve widening participation initiatives to encourage students from all socio-economic groups into medicine.

Bill Rammell: The two Departments meet regularly to discuss education and health issues, including initiatives to support fairer access to the health professions.
	Several medical schools run schemes, such as the extended medical programme, to encourage applications from bright students from disadvantaged or non-traditional backgrounds.
	Aimhigher is our primary vehicle for widening participation in higher education. The Aimhigher Healthcare Strand has been developed in partnership with the Department of Health and the Higher Education Funding Council for England. Aimhigher has a comprehensive evaluation strategy in place which is designed to show the impact of the programme over time.

Higher Education: Admissions

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many  (a) mature and  (b) part-time learners from the London Borough of Bexley entered higher education in each of the last 10 years.

Bill Rammell: The latest available information is shown in the table. Comparable figures for the 2007/08 academic year will be available in January 2009.
	
		
			  Entrants( 1)  to undergraduate courses from Bexley local authority UK higher education institutions. Academic years 1997/98 to 2006/07 
			   Bexley 
			Of all entrants( 2) 
			  Academic year  All Entrants  Mature( 3)  Part-time 
			 1997/98(4) 1,200 505 275 
			 1998/99 1,450 695 495 
			 1999/2000 1,395 700 510 
			 2000/01 1,620 810 590 
			 2001/02 1,745 905 625 
			 2002/03 1,785 910 630 
			 2003/04 1,955 1,040 730 
			 2004/05(5) 2,035 1,085 735 
			 2005/06 2,100 1,070 740 
			 2006/07 2,125 1,040 705 
			 (1 )Figures are on a snapshot basis as at 1 December to maintain a consistent time series across all years and are rounded to the nearest five. Figures include the Open University but exclude those on writing up, sabbatical or dormant modes of study. (2 )Breakdowns for mature and part-time students contain double counting (i.e. part-time students over 21 years of age will be included in both columns). (3 )Mature undergraduate students are aged 21 and over. Figures include a small number of students whose age was unknown. (4 )Figures for 1997/98 exclude the Open University because there are no figures available for entrants to undergraduate courses at the Open University by local authority for this year. (5 )The increase in entrants between 2004/05 and 2005/06 may be greater than in reality as a consequence of a problem identified with data submitted by the Open University (OU) in the 2004/05 academic year.  Source:  Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

Higher Education: Northamptonshire

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills when he expects the Higher Education Funding Council for England to make a decision on the proposed new multi-campus university for North Northamptonshire.

Bill Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State was pleased to meet a delegation from Northamptonshire to discuss the opportunities provided by our new University Challenge policy. The Funding Council will shortly be launching a consultation document to help those who want to extend higher education in North Northamptonshire and elsewhere to develop their plans for submission to the Funding Council and the other funding bodies that we expect to support such projects.

Midwives: Training

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills pursuant to the answer of 23 April 2008,  Official Report, columns 2084-86W, on midwifery students, whether the number of NHS midwifery training places commissioned for the 2007-08 academic year has now been confirmed.

Ann Keen: I have been asked to reply.
	The information will be available later in the summer.

Technology: Research

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what plans his Department has to fund research on low and zero carbon technologies in the next three years.

Ian Pearson: Research Council expenditure on energy research and training has more than doubled since 2003 and, over the period 2008-09 to 2010-11, will approach 300 million.
	The Energy Technologies Institute will invest up to 1 billion over the next 10 years and the Technology Strategy Board is also expanding its portfolio of activities through a range of initiatives including Innovation Platforms.

Vocational Training

Tom Levitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what steps he plans to take to promote the right of employees to request access to skills training.

David Lammy: Subject to the outcome of the current consultation and the passage of legislation on 'time to train' through the House, we expect to introduce a new right enabling up to 22 million employees in England to request time to train from their employer in 2010.
	We will build on our current skills communications and marketing campaigns to promote time to train, help employers prepare for its introduction and ensure that it helps them drive their businesses forward.

Wood

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much timber and how many timber products were procured by his Department originating from independently verified legal and sustainable sources or from a licensed FLEGT partner since its establishment; and at what cost.

David Lammy: Details of exactly how much timber and how many timber products were procured and precise amounts of expenditure thereon could be isolated from wider expenditure on office fixture, furniture and other items only at disproportionate cost. However, I can confirm that all timber, including that in all the timber-based products procured for DIUS, originated from legal and sustainable sources. There are no FLEGT licence schemes in place as yet.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Advanced Market Commitment Programme

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which countries will receive aid from his Department under the Advanced Market Commitment programme; and what role his Department will have in determining the pattern of distribution of vaccines delivered under the programme.

Gillian Merron: The pilot Advance Market Commitment (AMC) will be implemented by the GAVI Alliance (formerly the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisations) and the World Bank. The Department for International Development (DFID) envisages that all countries that are eligible for support from GAVI will also be eligible for support from the AMC. GAVI's eligibility policy is determined by the GAVI Board, of which the UK is a member.
	Presently, countries with gross national income of under $1,000 per capita are eligible for GAVI support and 72 developing countries currently meet this criterion. Eligible developing countries will decide whether they wish to apply to GAVI for support to introduce the new vaccines into their national immunisation programmes.

Africa: Health Professions

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what monitoring programmes were put in place to assess the effects of the Emergency Human Resources Programme launched in Malawi in 2004; and what evaluation has been made of the programme.

Gillian Merron: The Malawi Ministry of Health assesses progress against its health plans twice yearly, and the Department for International Development (DFID) draws on this information when conducting its own annual assessment of impact. In addition, an independent mid-term review of the six-year Malawi health plan reported in September 2007 and identified the need for further strengthening of monitoring and evaluation systems of human resources in the Ministry of Health.
	An evaluation of the Emergency Human Resources Programme is to be conducted and the design of the study is under way.

Africa: Health Professions

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had on  (a) the continuation of the Emergency Human Resources Programme in Malawi and  (b) the possible extension of the programme to other countries.

Gillian Merron: The Emergency Human Resources Programme is a government of Malawi programme that the Department for International Development (DFID) will support until at least 2011. DFID uses a variety of opportunities in country, and through visits, to discuss progress of the programme. It is too early for discussions about extending support beyond 2011, but any future extension will be the government of Malawi's decision.
	DFID's approach in all the countries it works, subject to availability of funding and capacity of partner governments, is to support country plans. DFID has no plans to extend Malawi's solution to other countries, but is working with each partner government to respond to their own health worker crisis while learning the lessons from elsewhere.

Africa: Primary Education

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the net enrolment ratio in primary education in  (a) Malawi,  (b) Liberia and  (c) Zambia in (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11 and (iii) 2011-12.

Gillian Merron: In Malawi it is estimated that around 80 per cent. of primary school-age children are in school. The draft Malawi National Education Sector Plan (NESP) 2008-17 has a target of increasing this to 95 per cent. by 2012-13. This is only achievable with increased investments in teachers, classrooms and teaching and learning materials. With these efforts, the Department for International Development (DFID) estimates the net enrolment ratio (NER) could increase to 86 per cent. in 2009-10; 89 per cent. in 2010-11 and 92 per cent. in 2011-12.
	DFID is not in a position to make an assessment for Liberia, because we do not provide bilateral support for education.
	In Zambia the Ministry of Education national implementation framework is aligned to the Fifth National Development Plan (FNDP) 2006-10. Projections and targets for all programme activities are currently within the five-year period of development plans. The estimated NER in primary education in 2009-2010 is 97.3 per cent. The government is in very early stages of planning for the next development plan cycle. Therefore, there are no national estimates provided for 2010-11 and 2011-12.

Asian Development Bank

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department has taken to encourage the Asian Development Bank to become a more effective development organisation; and whether UK funding is linked to improved performance.

Gareth Thomas: The UK Government recognise the significant contribution the Asian Development Bank (AsDB) makes to tackling poverty. This, however, can be increased further by the AsDB focusing more on ensuring that programmes achieve their anticipated results and improving the performance of its staff. Over the last year, the UK has pursued these objectives in formal discussions of the AsDB's work and strategy, in financing negotiations, and bilaterally with Bank's President and management.
	Last September, the UK formally withdrew the offer of additional funding that had been made subject to the AsDB implementing changes to improve its effectiveness. During the latest financing negotiations which finished in May 2008, the UK Government made clear again that the level of the UK contribution would be based on its effectiveness. The AsDB were able to show some improvements and gave a number of commitments to take further action. However, we reduced our share of total donor contributions (from 6 per cent. to 4.8 per cent.) to signal that we were not satisfied with the pace of reform.

Asian Development Bank

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department has taken to support the creation of the Asian Development Bank Clean Energy Investment Framework.

Gareth Thomas: Since launching the Clean Energy Investment Framework at Gleneagles in 2005 the UK Government have worked closely with the Asian Development Bank (AsDB) to help design and implement a Clean Energy Investment Framework (CEIF) for the region.
	The AsDB has launched a number of climate initiatives under its CEIF Climate Change Programme. DFID's support has been used to help the AsDB undertake an Asia Low-Carbon Transport study costing 175,000 which is informing the development of the Bank's urban transportation sector programmes. We have also committed 1.4 million to a regional technical assistance programme for the AsDB to take forward its work on adaptation to climate change. The AsDB is ensuring that climate change issues are fully integrated in its new Country Partnership Strategies. This includes helping countries to build adaptation into their development plans and into AsDB's future investments. DFID, FCO and DEFRA are also supporting the AsDB to carry out a 450,000 Regional Review of the Economics of Climate Change study in South East Asia. This study explores the potential impact of climate change in the region and the costs and benefits of both adaptation and mitigation policies to respond to the challenge.

Bangladesh: Overseas Aid

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what aid his Department has provided for the reduction of poverty in Bangladesh since 1997.

Shahid Malik: Details of DFID's bilateral assistance and imputed multilateral assistance provided to relieve poverty in Bangladesh since 1997 are laid out in the following tables.
	
		
			  Table 1: Total DFID Bilateral expenditure 1997-98  to  2006-07 
			   Bangladesh  (  000 ) 
			 1997-98 38 072 
			 1998-99 66 494 
			 1999-2000 63 489 
			 2000-01 70 489 
			 2001-02 59 222 
			 2002-03 73 224 
			 2003-04 55 383 
			 2004-05 127 904 
			 2005-06 123 368 
			 2006-07 109 313 
		
	
	Final details of DFID expenditure in 2007-08 will be available from July 2008.
	
		
			  Table 2: Imputed DFID Share of Multilateral Official Development Assistance (ODA) 1997/98  to  2006-07 
			   Bangladesh  ( 000 ) 
			 1997-98 11 296 
			 1998-99 49 635 
			 1999-2000 19 290 
			 2000-01 19 366 
			 2001-02 16 782 
			 2002-03 17 498 
			 2003-04 26 967 
			 2004-05 19 951 
			 2005-06 37 860 
			 2006-07 42 029

Bangladesh: Politics and Government

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent steps the Government have taken to assist in the development of democracy in Bangladesh.

Shahid Malik: During my recent visit to Bangladesh, I reiterated that the UK's interests, like those of the Bangladeshi people, are best served by a stable, prosperous and democratic Bangladesh. I met the Bangladesh Finance Adviser, and the Bangladesh Chief of Army Staff and expressed the UK's support for the roadmap for national elections before the end of 2008. I also repeated the UK's call to relax the provisions of the State of Emergency in Bangladesh, in order to facilitate conditions for the preparation of free and fair elections. I publicly urged all sides, including the political parties, to engage and participate positively in the democratic processes to bring a smooth transition to an elected government, which can sustain credible democracy thereafter. Also, I asserted the UK's belief that a return to the violent and confrontational politics of 2006 could never sustain democracy in Bangladesh.
	The UK, through DFID, is providing practical support to democratic processes in Bangladesh. We are currently providing 10 million to the Government of Bangladesh in support of the development of a new photographic voter roll and National ID Card. This will help to eliminate 'ghost voters', and to provide a fair, safe and transparent election.
	We are also providing 2.1 million to the national election programme aimed at supporting domestic non-governmental organisations to provide domestic and international monitoring of the election; and 2.8 million for 'BBC Sanglap' in support of a Question Time style debate show on television and radio in Bangladesh that encourages political/public dialogue. Both programmes are designed to minimise the scope for electoral fraud and reduce the risk of political parties boycotting the elections.

Burma: Politics and Government

John MacDougall: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the humanitarian situation in Burma.

Douglas Alexander: The cyclone that hit Burma on 2 May was one of the worst humanitarian disasters since the Asian Tsunami of 2004. The official Burmese government death toll is 84,537 dead with 53,836 missing, and the UN estimates the total number of people badly affected to be in the region of 2.4 million. The Red Cross estimates on the basis of reports from 22 organisations working in Burma that between 69,000 and 128,000 were killed. DFID estimates that of the affected population, 300,000 remain extremely vulnerable and require immediate humanitarian assistance.
	Some progress has been made in improving access to the affected areas by international humanitarian workers. The rate of delivery and volume of relief goods has increased since the UN/Association of South East Asian Nations conference on 25 May, but the UN estimates that approximately 1.1 million of the 2.4 million cyclone victims have yet to receive assistance. Some areas are just now being reached for the first time. However, the ASEAN's joint assessment process (PONJAPost Nargis Joint Assessment) is under way and appears to be progressing well.
	The UN Flash Appeal has requested US$201 million and is 63.6 per cent. funded (received funds not including pledges). A revised Humanitarian Appeal is expected in early July. DFID, having committed 27.5 million, is a leading donor. Our support is helping organisations provide immediate humanitarian assistance to victims of the cyclone, such as shelter materials, food, clean water and household items to replace those that have been lost.

Departmental Vetting

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what procedures his Department follows for checking the criminal records of employees; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The Department for International Development (DFID) follows the centrally mandated baseline standard clearance procedure for all individuals working on DFID premises. This includes a criminal record check of unspent convictions through the organisation Disclosure Scotland. Staff requiring a higher, national security vetting clearance, will have their criminal records checked against spent as well as unspent convictions.

Departmental Vetting

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what percentage of successful applicants for jobs in his Department are subjected to a criminal records check; how many  (a) successful applicants and  (b) criminal records checks there were in each of the last 10 years; how many successful applicants were found to have a criminal record after a criminal records check took place in each of the last 10 years; whether the selection of successful candidates to be subjected to a criminal records check is random or targeted; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: Under the centrally mandated baseline standard procedure introduced in 2007 the Department for International Development (DFID) undertakes a 100 per cent. criminal record check against unspent convictions for all staff working on DFID premises. Prior to the introduction of the baseline standard criminal record checks were undertaken on all staff under national security vetting procedures.
	The number of new recruits (successful applicants) on whom such checks were carried out in recent years is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  June to May each year  New recruits 
			 2003-04 113 
			 2004-05 100 
			 2005-06 65 
			 2006-07 97 
		
	
	The historic data requested for 10 years is not readily available, and could be collected only at disproportionate cost. DFID does not maintain a historic record of the number of successful applicants who were found to have a criminal record.

Developing Countries: Agriculture

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps the Government have taken to provide aid to developing countries targeted at poor farmers who are living at subsistence level.

Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development (DFID) believes that poor farmers, if properly supported, have the potential to contribute significantly to reducing hunger and poverty by growing food for their families and the immediate community. This also contributes to overall economic growth. At the recent Rome Food Summit the UK called on all donors, other international organisations, developing country governments, the private sector and civil society to double our efforts to tackle hunger and poverty under a Global Partnership for Agriculture and Food (GPAF). DFID works directly on agriculture in more than 20 countries, investing 120 million a year. In Africa and Asia DFID also supports a range of social protection programmes. In Africa alone we spend 55 million a year on rural safety nets which deliver social transfers to 8 million poor farmers.
	An increasing amount of DFID's funding is now going through multilateral channels. The European Commission and the World Bank are both significantly increasing the amount that they are committing to agriculture. This year's World Development Report, published by the World Bank, supported by DFID through funding and technical inputs, is devoted to the subject of agriculture and development. It highlights the need to provide support to poor farmers, and to provide alternative income opportunities in rural areas. DFID is also a leading supporter of the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Programme, CAADP, an Africa-led initiative looking to find the best ways of addressing the primary millennium development goal target of poverty and hunger.

Developing Countries: Carbon Emissions

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps the Government have taken to assist developing countries to cut carbon dioxide emissions since 1997.

Gareth Thomas: The 2006 White Paper on International Development made climate change a strategic priority for the Department for International Development (DFID), and has led to an increase in capacity and resources on this issue. As part of the 2005 G8 meeting in Gleneagles, the UK helped push for a Clean Energy Investment Framework to stimulate greater investment in lower carbon energy sources by the multilateral development banks. Linked to this we have part-funded five low-carbon growth strategies in Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa.
	The UK has been a major contributor to the Global Environment Facility (GEF), and our current funding totals 140 million over four years (2007-8 to 2010-11). About a third of GEF's funds support projects tackling climate change, including renewable energy, energy efficiency, sustainable transport, and new low carbon energy technologies. The UK Government's longer term objective is to enable all developing countries to access global carbon markets, and we have supported programmes to ensure greater participation in the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) by African countries.

Developing Countries: Energy

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent steps the Government have taken to encourage developing countries to use sustainable energy sources.

Gareth Thomas: At the 2005 G8 Summit in Gleneagles the UK championed the Clean Energy Investment Framework (CEIF), which commits the World Bank and other multilateral development banks (MDBs) to increase their investment in renewable sources of energy. Our longer term objective is for global carbon markets to act as the primary driver of investment in sustainable energy sources in developing countries.
	The UK will be one of the major contributors to the Clean Technology Fund (CTF), which will provide additional resources, via the multilateral development banks, to help developing countries pilot new approaches for the demonstration and deployment of low carbon technologies. The CTF is part of the newly created Climate Investment Funds (CIFs), and will be capitalised from the UK's 800 million Environmental Transformation Fund. The Department for International Development (DFID) also provides core funding to the World Bank's Energy Sector Management Assistance Programme (ESMAP) and the Global Village Energy Partnership (GVEP).

Developing Countries: EU Aid

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department has taken in collaboration with the EU to ensure development issues are systematically addressed across all sectors; and with what outcomes.

Gareth Thomas: In 2005 the UK EU presidency launched the European Consensus on Development. This landmark agreement committed EU member states and the Commission to ensure that policies that affect development (such as trade and migration) do not compromise, and where possible, support progress towards achieving development goals. This goal is termed Policy Coherence for Development (PCD).
	The first EU biannual report on PCD was issued in October 2007. The report highlighted that progress had been made in the Commission, particularly around establishing mechanisms to promote PCD. Substantial efforts have been made on some policy areas, on trade for example, the EU has been at the forefront of making development a key issue at the World Trade Organisation negotiations and in seeking a successful outcome of the Doha Development Agenda. Implementation of PCD at the member state level was more varied although the UK was seen as a good performer.
	The report was an important step forward in raising awareness and understanding of PCD. In future reports, there will be more focus on the wider impact and outcomes of PCD efforts.

Developing Countries: HIV Infection

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether he plans to hold a public consultation on the Monitoring and Evaluation Framework for the AIDS strategy.

Gillian Merron: A 12-week public consultation for the updated AIDS strategy Achieving Universal Accessthe UK's strategy for halting and reversing the spread of HIV in the developing world was held between May and August 2007. The strategy emphasises the importance of achieving outcomes as well as measuring inputs. The Department for International Development (DFID) is in the process of finalising a monitoring and evaluation plan and is committed to reporting on the commitments made in Achieving Universal Access. We will commission an independent review of the implementation of the strategy in three years time.

Developing Countries: Overseas Aid

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what projections have been made of future donor funding for the World Bank's International Development Association; and what change he expects there to be to the UK contribution in each of the next five years.

Gareth Thomas: The negotiations for the 15(th) replenishment of the International Development Association (IDA 15) concluded in December 2007. 45 donor countries pledged a record 12.6 billion over three years to further the cause of overcoming poverty in the poorest low income countries. As a result of this donor funding the World Bank's IDA will be able to provide 21 billion over the period 2008-11 to the poorest 80 countries in the world.
	The UK has pledged to provide the World Bank 2.134 billion to IDA 15 over the next three years, 2008-11a 49 per cent. increase over its contribution to IDA 14 (2005-08). The UK Government will be seeking parliamentary approval for this contribution next month. The UK contribution for the period after 2011 will be determined during the IDA 16 negotiations which are scheduled to commence in March 2010.
	In addition to this, donors including the UK have agreed to provide compensation to IDA for the costs of providing debt relief under the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative (MDRI). Over the next five years the UK contribution for MDRI to IDA is estimated to be 240 million however this is dependant on progress of countries through the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative.

European Development Fund

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what contributions his Department makes to the management of the European Development Fund; how co-operation with other member states is managed; and what steps have been taken to improve co-ordination.

Gareth Thomas: The UK takes a proactive role at the European Development Fund (EDF) Committee, which makes decisions on the EDF. The contributions made by UK Officials at these Committees are based on advice from DFID country offices and other UK Government Departments. Co-operation is managed effectively with other member states by formally and exchanging views, before and during Committee meetings, and developing common positions when appropriate.
	At a country level, a number of steps have been taken by the Commission itself to improve co-ordination. When the Commission developed its recent Country Strategy Papers (CSP) under the 10(th) EDF, the Commission organised discussions to ensure complementarity with other bilateral programmes. In some cases, this went further. In South Africa and Sierra Leone discussions led to a joint CSP between the EC and other member states with a presence in-country.

European Development Fund

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how he expects his Department's share of funding for the European Development Fund to change in each of the next five years.

Gareth Thomas: The tenth European Development Fund (EDF) (22,682,00 million) can be committed from 1 July 2008 and will cover the period 2008-13. The UK's share is 14.82 per cent. (3,360,00 million). The ninth EDF (13,800,00 million) ran from 2003-2007. The UK's share amounted to 12.69 per cent. (1,751,22 million).
	The UK's share of the tenth EDF will not change and will remain at 14.82 per cent.. The UK will continue to pay the ninth EDF (12.69 per cent.) until 2010. After this the UK will only make payments at the tenth EDF share (14.82 per cent.).

Foreign Relations

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which bilateral development relationships between the UK and another country have ended in the last three years.

Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development (DFID) has ended the following bilateral development relationships in the last three years:
	Khazakstan (2005)
	Namibia (2005)
	Uzbekistan (2005)
	Swaziland (2006)
	Sri Lanka (2006)
	Russia (2007)
	Ukraine (2008)
	East Timor (2008)
	DFID's bilateral office and programme in Sri Lanka closed in April 2006. However, DFID's engagement in Sri Lanka continues through staff seconded to the high commission in Colombo and through DFID funding of UK Government Conflict Prevention Pool activities in Sri Lanka.

Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of co-operation between the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and the United Nations agencies.

Gillian Merron: The Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund) and the UN co-operate in a range of areas. Parts of the UN system such as the World Health Organisation (WHO), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and UNAIDS (the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS) are key providers of technical assistance to countries applying for Global Fund support. Some of them, such as UNICEF (the United Nations Children's Fund) are also key implementers of Global Fund supported programmes through their work for example in product procurement and supply chain management. The Fund has signed Memoranda of Understanding with both UNDP and UNAIDS.
	The Fund is currently undergoing a major independent evaluation of its functioning and performance. One of the three elements of this evaluation will look at the effectiveness and efficiency of the Partnership Environment in which the Fund operates. The Fund is a financing mechanism; it does not implement programmes itself and has no country presence, so it must rely on the activities and support of its development partners. The Secretariat of the Global Fund expects to present this part of the evaluation to a board retreat in October and to the full board in November 2008.

International Health Partnership

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the level of harmonisation between multilateral health agencies following the May 2008 meeting on the International Health Partnership; and what evidence was used to inform this assessment.

Gillian Merron: At global level the World Health Organisation and World Bank are working effectively together in leading the International Health Partnership (IHP). The eight multilateral health agencies (WHO, World Bank, Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, GAVI Alliance, UNICEF, UNFPA, UNAIDS and the Gates Foundation) also meet regularly to coordinate their work and implement the IHP as the H8. At a country level, Department for International Development (DFID) offices are also reporting progress. For example, in Mozambique a central part of the IHP will be developing and implementing a coordinated strategy to scale-up health workers; and in Nepal, the IHP gave momentum to a new policy on free health care.
	DFID is pleased that there will now be an external review of the IHP to assess progress against commitments set out in the global IHP Compact, which was signed in September 2007. DFID will be calling for a discussion of the results of that review at ministerial and head of agency level.

Joint Country Strategy for South Africa

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what resources his Department plans to commit to the joint country strategy for South Africa; and whether the EU or the South African government will administer this initiative.

Gillian Merron: The joint European Union Strategy Paper (EU-CSP) was signed in 2007 between the European Union, 10 member states (including the UK), and the South African Government. The Strategy was jointly drafted and agreed with the South African National Treasury.
	The EU-CSP supports the priorities of the Government of South Africa (GoSA). Donors have agreed to split responsibilities for different sectors. The UK leads on the employment promotion theme and has established a working group designed to encourage co-operation between donors and Government Departments.
	The EU is responsible for administering the strategy, working closely with the South African International Donor Co-ordination (IDC) Department of the National Treasury, which manages international donor relationships.
	The UK will provide 20 million annually in bilateral funding to South Africa, between 2008 to 2011. This funding will be spent in line with the EU-CSP Business Plan.

Malaria: Health Education

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department has provided funding to  (a) Malaria no More,  (b) Tam Tam and  (c) the UK Campaign Against Malaria; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The Department for International Development has not provided financial support to  (a) Malaria no More,  (b) Tam Tam or  (c) the UK Campaign Against Malaria. However, we do have strong links with and provide support to some of the organisations that are part of the UK Coalition Against Malaria.

South Asia: HIV Infection

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what resources his Department provided to help reduce the spread of HIV and AIDS in South and South East Asia in each of the last five years.

Douglas Alexander: Details of bilateral financial resources provided by DFID to help reduce the spread of HIV and AIDS in South and South East Asia, in each of the last five financial years, are given in the following table. Final figures for 2007-08 are not yet available.
	
		
			  Bilateral expenditure on HIV and AIDS in South and South East Asia 2002-03 to 2006-07 
			  000 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 South Asia 25,411 31,019 53,174 60,944 74,944 
			 South East Asia 4,223 8,451 12,612 26,998 26,796 
			 Total 29,634 39,470 65,786 87,942 101,740 
		
	
	DFID also provides multilateral assistance to a range of organisations, some of which is used to fight HIV and AIDS in South and South East Asia, including: the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria (GFATM); the United Nations Joint Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) and other UN organisations; the European Commission and the World Bank.

South Asia: Primary Education

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what research his Department has commissioned on levels of enrolment in primary education in South Asia in the last three years.

Douglas Alexander: All Department for International Development (DFID) programmes have a main focus on primary enrolment as part of our commitment to and assessment of progress towards the millennium development goals. In each country, as part of the regular monitoring we undertake jointly with governments and other donors, regular analysis of enrolment data as well as research into specific issues related to enrolment takes place. This enables us to understand the constraints to access faced by particular groups, especially girls, and support interventions aimed at enrolling the hard to reach.
	In addition to this country level work, our Central Research Department has commissioned a major international study on access to education which includes India among the sample countries.

Trade Policy Unit

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the joint Trade Policy Unit; and what plans he has for further collaboration with the Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.

Gareth Thomas: The Joint Trade Policy Unit was established in summer 2007 and employs 70 staff from across the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) and the Department for International Development (DFID). It is delivering a high profile agenda that uniquely integrates the Government's trade and development objectives. It is driving forward the Government's effort to secure a Doha Trade deal that promotes market access and development. It leads UK policy on Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) and is working with a range of partners to ensure these deliver real benefits to developing countries. The Unit is finalising an Aid for Trade strategy that will accelerate progress towards the Government's 2005 G8 commitments.
	Both Departments also collaborate well to implement the OECD Guidelines for multinational enterprises including investigation of complaints. Over the next year, collaboration will be strengthened further through work on a long-term trade and development strategy, including a future strategy on free trade agreements and joint work on fair and ethical trade.

UN Country Pilot Scheme

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when the expansion of the One UN country pilot scheme to a further 30 states is expected to start.

Gareth Thomas: The President of the General Assembly has asked for a report on progress in the eight One UN country pilots. We expect the report to be discussed in the coming weeks. Following this, we do not expect that there will be a formal timetable for an expansion of the One UN country pilots. Instead, developing countries that wish to adopt a 'delivering as one' approach are expected to do so as they agree new development assistance frameworks with the UN. In addition other countries, such as Malawi, are already coming forward to adopt principles of good practice from the One UN pilots.

United Nations Children Fund

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department's relationship with the United Nations Children's Fund has been used to help reduce child poverty in the UK.

Gareth Thomas: The Department for International Development (DFID) does not directly support the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) to reduce child poverty in the United Kingdom. DFID contributes central funding of 21 million a year to support UNICEF's Medium Term Strategic Plan (2006-09) which focuses on the poorest countries to address the causes and results of child poverty.
	In partnership with Sweden and Canada we are helping UNICEF to improve organisational performance at all levels, assisting them to fulfil their global mandate to promote the rights of the child to survival, development, protection and women's full enjoyment of human rights. By enhancing their effectiveness UNICEF can work to improve the lives of all children worldwide.

United Nations Population Fund

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had on incentivising United Nations Population Fund staff to increase collaboration across the UN system.

Gareth Thomas: The Department for International Development (DFID) has had extensive dialogue with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) on strengthening collaboration across the UN system.
	This has resulted in UNFPA clearly outlining how they will advance collaboration in their new strategic plan, regionalisation programme and development results frameworks. UNFPA has issued guidance to country offices on UN reform and has provided incentives for staff by introducing indicators on collaborative working into their staff performance frameworks.
	DFID is currently developing a Performance Monitoring Framework for future core commitment to UNFPA (2008-092010-11). This will contain indicators and targets on increasing UN collaboration.

United Nations: HIV Infection

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what financial commitments his Department has made to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS to help fight HIV and AIDS.

Gareth Thomas: Between January 2006 and December 2007 the Department for International Development (DFID) provided 29,955,500 unearmarked core funding and 12,042,500 earmarked for specific activities to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS). We are currently developing a new core funding agreement with UNAIDS for 2008-09 to 2011-12.

United Nations: Humanitarian Aid

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to support reform of the UN system for delivery of aid policy.

Gareth Thomas: The Department for International Development (DFID) is a strong supporter of the UN and recognises that it is a key partner in achieving the MDG's. $15 billion of all development aid flows through the UN. The UK spent 615 million through the UN in 2005. The high level panel report recommended key reforms to the way the UN works at country and the central level.
	In 2007 DFID provided catalytic funding to assist the transition of the Delivering as One initiative in eight pilot countries as well as active support of the UN country teams as they develop their new plans for a more streamlined UN programme through effective co-ordination between the UN, national governments and donor partners, that support national governments' own development priorities.
	DFID is playing a significant role in supporting the transition to a more strategic and coherent programme, better placed to support national capacity.
	The success of some of the pilots has led to another 30 governments and UN country teams expressing interest to become part of the next phase of the One UN to improve the coherence and effectiveness of their programmes.

United Nations: Humanitarian Aid

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development where the United Nations Development Programme's SURGE Capacity Initiative has been used in crises since its introduction in 2006.

Gareth Thomas: The United Nations Development Programme's (UNDP) Immediate Crisis Response, or SURGE, has been deployed in the following crisis situations:
	Burma following Cyclone Nargis, May 2008;
	Cameroon in response to a sudden influx of Chadian refugees, February 2008;
	Chad after post-elections violence had destroyed UNDP's office in the country, February 2008;
	Bangladesh following Cyclone Sidr, 2007;
	Liberia after a string of natural disasters, 2007;
	Solomon Islands following a tsunami, 2007;
	Sudan in support of contingency planning for a potential expansion of support to Darfur, 2007.

World Bank

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the compatibility of President Zoellick's six priority areas for the future direction of the World Bank's strategy with UK development policy.

Gareth Thomas: The World Bank shares DFID's overarching ambition of eradicating poverty and achieving the millennium development goals. It has an important role in taking forward the policy priorities set out in the 2006 White Paper on International Development and the 2008 DFID annual report. President Zoellick's vision is for the World Bank Group to contribute to inclusive and sustainable globalisationto overcome poverty, enhance growth with care for the environment, and create individual opportunity and hope. He has set out six strategic themes for the World Bank:
	helping low income countries with an emphasis on economic growth, infrastructure, agriculture and governance;
	helping fragile states to rebuild after conflict;
	helping middle income countries by being more flexible and better responding to their needs;
	fostering regional and global public goods particularly trade and climate changeincluding a portfolio of measures on low carbon growth;
	fostering opportunities in the Arab world to help stimulate economic growth; and
	fostering knowledge and learning.
	These six priority areas accord well with the four priority areas set out in the DFID 2008 annual reporttackling climate change, reform of international institutions, promoting growth, and peace and security.

World Health Organisation: Millennium Development Goals

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding his Department has given to the World Health Organisation to assist the achievement of the millennium development goals on health.

Gillian Merron: During the period 2002-03 to 2005-06, the latest period for which comprehensive figures are available, DFID provided $387 million through the World Health Organisation (WHO). This comprised $197 million for global partnerships such as Roll Back Malaria and the Global Polio Eradication Initiative and $73 million in unearmarked central funding for the WHO's development work. The balance in DFID funding over this period supported WHO's work at a country level and in humanitarian situations.

Zimbabwe: HIV Infection

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of reliability of the evidence for the positive trends in the fight against HIV in unstable countries reported by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS, with particular reference to Zimbabwe.

Douglas Alexander: The evidence for the positive trends in the fight against HIV is based on the 2007 UNAIDS Epidemiology Update. These epidemiological estimates are based on methods and parameters that are reviewed and endorsed by an expert Reference Group based on work by country analysts.
	UNAIDS indicates that the downward trend observed in Zimbabwe's HIV prevalence rate is supported by several studies. The UNAIDS assessment of the HIV prevalence rate in Zimbabwe is likely to be the best assessment possible under current conditions.

Zimbabwe: Politics and Government

John MacDougall: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe.

Douglas Alexander: The humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe continues to be a grave cause for concern. This year's harvest has been the worst in post-colonial history. The World Food Programme estimates that 5.1 million people may need food aid in the coming year. The severe HIV/AIDS crisis, increasing poverty and destitution, the chaos caused by hyperinflation, and the breakdown of water and sanitation services, are all adding to the risk factors for a major humanitarian emergency.
	On 4 June the Government of Zimbabwe suspended the field activities of all NGO's and Private Voluntary Organisations (PVOs), with severe implications for the delivery of humanitarian relief. The UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimates that around 1.5 million people are being immediately affected. UNICEF say this number includes half a million children.
	The World Food Programme's main feeding programme is due to scale up from August. The absence of large scale food aid programmes in the second half of the year could lead to high levels of malnutrition and increased mortality.

HEALTH

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 23 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 102-3W, on models of care for alcohol misusers, what steps his Department is taking to monitor the efficacy of primary care trusts implementation of guidelines on Models of Care for Alcohol Misusers; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department monitors the outcomes of effective prevention and treatment through the Public Service Agreement Indicator on alcohol-related hospital admissions for each primary care trust (PCT). The responsibility for developing effective pathways for prevention, treatment and care lies with PCTs. Models of Care for Alcohol Misusers provides advice for PCTs.

Allergies: Health Services

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the Sixth Report of the House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology, Session 2006-07, HL 166, what progress has been made in setting up a pilot regional allergy centre.

Ann Keen: In the Government's response to the House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology report on Allergy we announced our intention to consider whether a pilot allergy centre was the best way forward. We have since written to all strategic health authorities inviting declarations of interest in leading this process.
	We are also continuing to consult stakeholders, including commissioners and patient representative bodies, about what will best meet the needs of patients.

Allergies: Health Services

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library a copy of the invitation to strategic health authorities to tender to lead the regional allergy centre pilot.

Ann Keen: Copies of the invitation have been placed in the Library.

Asthma: Children

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with the Department of Children, Schools and Families on the care of children with  (a) asthma and  (b) diabetes.

Ann Keen: My right hon. Friends the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families and the Secretary of State for Health meet regularly to discuss matters of interest to the two Departments. They have not met specifically to discuss diabetes or asthma, although meetings have covered the child health strategy, due later this year, which will cover a range of issues including care of children with long-term health conditions.

Carers: Working Hours

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance he has issued on the application of the Working Time Directive to carers on sleeping duty; what estimate he has made of the number of care packages affected by the application of the Directive; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The Department has not issued guidance about how the European Working Time Directive (EWTD) impacts on carers. Most carers are volunteers and are not covered by the EWTD.
	Carers employed on sleeping duty are covered by the employment legislation including the EWTD. The Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) provide relevant guidance that can be accessed via their website at:
	www.berr.gov.uk/employment/employment-legislation/employment-uidance/page28978.html
	The Government have provided significant investment in local services, including social care. Allocations to local authorities (LAs) have increased by 39 per cent. in real terms since 1997. The detail of contracting arrangements between LAs and independent sector providers of care is a matter for local decision. We expect LAs to take into account a range of provider costs such as implementing the EWTD.

Compulsorily Detained Mental Patients

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 and related legislation in England in each of the last four years for which figures are available, broken down by  (a) region and  (b) primary care trust.

Ivan Lewis: The information requested is not held centrally.
	However, such information as is available is contained in the following table:
	
		
			  Numbers of formal admissions to national health service facilities and independent hospitals registered to detain patients under the Mental Health Act 1983 and other legislation in England in each of the last four years for which figures are available, broken down by region 
			2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Q30 North East strategic health authority (SHA) 1,184 1,197 1,144 1,126 
			 Q31 North West SHA 3,509 3,359 3,414 3,498 
			 Q32 Yorkshire and the Humber SHA 1,965 2,049 2,130 2,160 
			 Q33 East Midlands SHA 1,766 2,075 2,122 2,017 
			 Q34 West Midlands SHA 2,773 2,905 2,944 2,834 
			 Q35 East Of England SHA 2,372 2,340 2,411 2,885 
			 Q36 London SHA 6,245 6,300 6,577 6,218 
			 Q37 South East Coast SHA 2,144 2,141 2,103 2,115 
			 Q38 South Central SHA 1,858 2,004 2,117 1,913 
			 Q39 South West SHA 2,419 2,262 2,184 2,357 
			  Other unclassified providers  183 207 592 
			  Total 26,235 26,815 27,353 27,715 
			  Source: Hospital Episode Statistics: KP90

Contraceptives: Hertfordshire

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many morning-after pills were distributed by each primary care trust in  (a) the Dacorum Borough Council area and  (b) Hertfordshire in each in each of the last five years.

Dawn Primarolo: Information is not held in the format requested. Information is held at national health service trust level. Due to primary care trust (PCT) reorganisations over the requested period and the PCTs in control of dispensing contraceptives changing, figures are only available for 2006-07 for East and North Hertfordshire PCT and West Hertfordshire PCT, which serve Hertfordshire including the Dacorum area.
	The following table shows numbers of post-coital hormonal contraceptives dispensed at community contraceptive services and prescribed in the community in the East and North Hertfordshire PCT and West Hertfordshire PCT areas.
	
		
			  NHS contraceptive services: numbers of post-coital hormonal contraceptives dispensed at community contraceptive services and prescribed in the community in the East and North Hertfordshire PCT and West Hertfordshire PCT areas since 2006-07 
			   Number 
			 Total specified services 6,590 
			 Community contraceptive services(1) 708 
			 Prescribed in the community(2) 5,882 
			 (1) Figures are for the number of post-coital hormonal contraceptives issued at community contraceptive clinics. Figures supplied are for East and North Hertfordshire PCT. (2) PACT data: these figures are for East and North Hertfordshire PCT and West Hertfordshire PCT. This information was obtained from the PACT system, which covers prescriptions prescribed by general practitioners, nurses, pharmacies and others in England and dispensed in the community in the United Kingdom. For data at PCT level, prescriptions written by a prescriber located in a particular PCT but dispensed outside the PCT will be included in the PCT in which the prescriber is based. Prescriptions written in England but dispensed outside England are included. Prescriptions written in hospitals/clinics that are dispensed in the community, prescriptions dispensed in hospitals and private prescriptions are not included in PACT data. It is important to note this as some British National Formulary (BNF) sections have a high proportion of prescriptions, written in hospitals that are dispensed in the community. For example, BNF chapter 4 'Central Nervous System' has a fair proportion of items written in mental health clinics that are dispensed in the communitythese prescriptions are not included in the PACT data.  Note: Figures are for the financial year April 2006 to March 2007.  Source: 1. The Information Centre for health and social care KT31 return; and 2. Prescribing Analysis and Cost Tool (PACT)

Dental Services

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dental accident and emergency units there are in England.

Ann Keen: There are 203 major multi-specialty consultant-led accident and emergency (A and E) units in England. Major multi-specialty A and E units accept all accident and emergency patients including dental emergencies unless otherwise specified. There are also 82 consultant led single speciality A and E units, of which five have been specifically self reported by the NHS as dental units.
	Minor dental emergencies such as acute toothache are usually treated through primary dental care out of hours services. Out of hours primary care is provided through high street dentists and in some areas local dental access centres. Major emergencies requiring maxo facial surgery would be referred either direct or via A and E to these specialist secondary care services.

Dental Services

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people saw an NHS dentist at least once in the year from  (a) 1 March 2006 and  (b) 1 March 2007.

Ann Keen: Information on the number of people seen by an NHS dentist in a 12 month period could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Information is available and is published each quarter on the number of patients seen by an NHS dentist, in England in a 24 month period. The latest information is available in Table CI of Annex 3 of the 'NHS Dental Statistics for England: Quarter 3, 31 December 2007' report. Information is available for the 24-month periods ending 31 March 2006, 31 March 2007, 30 June 2007, 30 September 2007 and 31 December 2007.
	This report was published by the Information Centre for health and social care on 5 June 2008. Copies are available in the Library and is also available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dentalstats0708q3

Dental Services

Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS dental practices have  (a) opened and  (b) closed in each constituency in each year since 1997-98.

Ann Keen: Information on the number of national health service dental practices that have opened or closed is not collected centrally.
	The number of NHS dental practices in England, as at 31 March of each year from 1997 to 2006, is available at Table 7 in the NHS Dental Activity and Workforce Report, England: 31 March 2006. This information is based on the old dental contractual arrangements which were in place up to and including 31 March 2006. NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) Dental Services Division (DSD) can provide validated information on the number of NHS dental practices by constituency only at disproportionate cost.
	This publication is available in the Library and is also available on the information centre for health and social care at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/primary-care/dentistry/nhs-dental-activity-and-workforce-report-england-31-march-2006
	Under the new dental contractual arrangements, introduced on 1 April 2006, NHSBSA DSD can provide validated information on the number of NHS dental practices only at disproportionate cost.

Dental Services: Lincolnshire

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people accessed NHS dental treatment in  (a) north-east Lincolnshire and  (b) north Lincolnshire in each month for the last two years.

Ann Keen: The information is not available in the requested format. The NHS Business Services Authority Dental Services Division can only provide validated monthly information on the number of people seen by an national health service dentist at disproportionate cost.
	The number of patients seen by an NHS dentist in England, over the previous 24 months period, is provided at Table CI of Annex 3 of the 'NHS Dental Statistics for England: Quarter 3, 31 December 2007' report. Information is provided by strategic health authority and primary care trust. This report, published on 5 June 2008, is available in the Library and is also available on the Information Centre for health and social carer's website at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dentalstats0708q3

Departmental Training

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what training courses were  (a) available to and  (b) taken up by civil servants in his Department in the last 12 months.

Ben Bradshaw: The corporate training courses available to and taken by staff in the Department between September 2007 and May 2008 are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Course title  Number of courses held  Number of attendees 
			 Business planning action learning sets 1 10 
			 Coaching for performance 1 6 
			 Competencies, self assessment and development planning 1 5 
			 Conducting a performance review 2 14 
			 Corporate induction 9 158 
			 Dealing with excellent and poor performance 1 8 
			 Dispute resolutionmediation training 1 5 
			 Equality impact assessment 12 111 
			 Introductory certificate in project management 1 9 
			 Introduction to performance management 5 62 
			 Leadershipaccountability, project and plans workshop 3 23 
			 Leadershipeffective leadership/managing people workshop 3 27 
			 Leadershipfinancial leadership workshop 2 19 
			 Leadershiporganisation and change workshop 1 8 
			 Leadershippersonal impact workshop 4 41 
			 Leadershipresource budget workshop 1 8 
			 Leadershipstrategic leadership workshop 4 38 
			 Leadership workshop 5 41 
			 Managing and working in diverse teams 5 38 
			 Managing change 4 24 
			 Mentoring 8 61 
			 Monitoring performance, collecting and giving feedback 1 8 
			 Financeresource budget management 7 78 
			 Financestrategic management 1 29 
			 Setting objectives 1 9 
			 The manager as a developer 3 21 
			 Thinking through slides 5 44 
			 Working with local Government 5 50 
			 Working with Ministers 10 119 
		
	
	The requested information has only been collated in the form presented since September 2007, and therefore cannot be provided for the whole of the last year.
	In addition to corporate training, decisions will have been taken at a local level to send staff on external training courses where a need was identified for training not provided within the Department. There is no centrally held record of this type of action, and it would involve disproportionate cost to gather the information.

Dietary Supplements

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what progress was made at the Working Group of the Council of Ministers held in June 2008 to discuss the setting of maximum permitted levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements under the provisions of Article 5 of the Food Supplements Directive;
	(2)  when he next plans to discuss with his European counterparts the objectives of the Government for the setting of maximum permitted levels for nutrients in food supplements; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  whether the regulatory impact assessment to be conducted on the future proposed maximum levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements will include an assessment of impact upon  (a) consumer choice,  (b) specialist small and medium sized manufacturers,  (c) specialist health food retailers and  (d) public health.

Dawn Primarolo: The European Commission has confirmed that the next European Commission-led working group meeting with member states on setting maximum and minimum levels of vitamins and minerals in food supplements will be held on 27 June.
	We have been advised by the Food Standards Agency that its officials are planning a further round of bilateral meetings with their counterparts in other member states to build on discussions held at the working group meeting.
	The potential impact on all stakeholders of the European Commission's proposals for setting maximum and minimum levels will be assessed in the associated impact assessment, according to Government guidance issued by the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.

Doctors: Working Hours

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what account the agreement reached on the amendment of the Working Time Directive took of the European Court of Justice judgments in the SiMAP and Jaeger cases; what provision the agreement makes for the treatment of on-call time; what amendments to the Directive are foreseen as a result; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: The European Council agreed that the inactive part of on-call time should not count as work and for compensatory rest (for missed rest) to be taken within a reasonable period. The text now moves to the European Parliament for their consideration as part of the codecision process.
	The Government, like the majority of member states supported this text and we have always considered that the SiMAP and Jaeger judgments took the principle of what should be included as working time too far.

Drugs: Misuse

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital admissions where the primary or secondary diagnosis was drug-related there were in Suffolk in each of the last five years, broken down by age.

Dawn Primarolo: The following table shows total admissions to hospital in which the primary or secondary diagnosis of the patient was drug related in Suffolk, broken down by age, for 2002-03 to 2006-07.
	Admissions are classified using the International Classifications of Diseases (ICD) 10 codes. A drug can be defined as any substance that alters normal bodily function. Therefore codes relating to noxious substances and solvents have been included in this data. It is not possible to identify in ICD-10 all diseases caused by drugs (legal or illegal) and there is no way to guarantee that the admission was drug related. For example, a patient admitted for inguinal hernia surgery may also be dependent on a drug.
	
		
			   Year (of end of first period of care in patient's hospital stay) 
			  Age  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Under 15 144 178 221 164 137 
			 15 to 64 1,406 1,732 1,514 1,564 1,559 
			 65+ 399 489 529 579 606 
			 Unknown1  
			  Notes:  1. Suffolk primary care trust (PCT): In 2006, Suffolk PCT was formed from four former PCTs: Suffolk Coastal PCT, Ipswich PCT, Central Suffolk PCT, Suffolk West PCT. 2. Finished admission episodes (FAEs): A FAE is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. Admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year. 3. Data quality: HES are compiled from data sent by over 300 national health service trusts and primary care trusts (PCTs) in England. The Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data via HES processes. Whilst this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain. 4. Assessing growth through time: HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. During the years that these records have been collected by the NHS there have been ongoing improvements in quality and coverage. These improvements in information submitted by the NHS have been particularly marked in the earlier years and need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. Changes in NHS practice also need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. For example a number of procedures may now be undertaken in outpatient settings and may no longer be accounted in the HES data. This may account for any reductions in activity over time. 5. All Diagnoses count of episodesprimary and secondarydrug related: These figures represent a count of all FAEs where the diagnosis was mentioned in any of the 14 (seven prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in a HES record. 6. ICD 10 Codes included in this data:Code F55 relates to the abuse of non-dependence-producing substances.  
			 Codes K71.0 through to K71.9 relate to toxic liver disease with cholestasis, with hepatic necrosis, with acute hepatitis, with chronic persistent hepatitis, with chronic lobular hepatitis, with chronic active hepatitis, with hepatitis not elsewhere classified, with fibrosis and cirrhosis of liver, with other disorders of liver, and with unspecified conditions. Codes T36 through to T65 relate to poisoning, such as poisoning by systemic antibiotics, other systemic anti-infectives and antiparasitics, hormones and their synthetic substitutes and antagonists not elsewhere classified, by nonopioid analgesics, antipyretics and antirheumatics, narcotics and psychodysleptics [hallucinogens], anaesthetics and therapeutic gases, antiepileptic, sedative-hypnotic and antiparkinsonism drugs, psychotropic drugs not elsewhere classified, psychotropic drugs not elsewhere classified, psychotropic drugs not elsewhere classified, drugs primarily affecting the autonomic nervous system, primarily systemic and haematological agents, not elsewhere classified, agents primarily affecting the cardiovascular system, agents primarily affecting the gastrointestinal system, agents primarily acting on smooth and skeletal muscles and the respiratory system, topical agents primarily affecting skin and mucous membrane and by ophthalmological, otorhinolaryngological and dental drugs, diuretics and other and unspecified drugs, medicaments and biological substances, toxic effect of organic solvents, toxic effect of halogen derivatives of aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, toxic effect of corrosive substances, toxic effect of soaps and detergents, toxic effect of metals, toxic effect of other inorganic substances, toxic effect of carbon monoxide, toxic effect of other gases, fumes and vapours, toxic effect of pesticides, toxic effect of noxious substances eaten as seafood, toxic effect of other noxious substances eaten as food, toxic effect of contact with venomous animals, toxic effect of aflatoxin and other mycotoxin food contaminants, toxic effect of other and unspecified substances. Codes X40 through to X49 relate to accidental poisoning by and exposure to nonopioid analgesics, antipyretics and antirheumatics, to antiepileptic, sedative-hypnotic, antiparkinsonism and psychotropic drugs, not elsewhere classified, narcotics and psychodysleptics [hallucinogens] not elsewhere classified, other drugs acting on the autonomic nervous system, other and unspecified drugs, medicaments and biological substances, organic solvents and halogenated hydrocarbons and their vapours, other gases and vapours, exposure to pesticides, other and unspecified chemicals and noxious substances. Codes X60 through to X69 relate to intentional self-poisoning by and exposure to nonopioid analgesics, antipyretics and antirheumatics, antiepileptic, sedative-hypnotic, antiparkinsonism and psychotropic drugs, not elsewhere classified, narcotics and psychodysleptics [hallucinogens], not elsewhere classified, other drugs acting on the autonomic nervous system, other and unspecified drugs, medicaments and biological substances, organic solvents and halogenated hydrocarbons and their vapours, exposure to pesticides, other and unspecified chemicals and noxious substances. Codes Y40 through to Y59 relate to systemic antibiotics, other systemic anti-infectives and antiparasitics, hormones and their synthetic substitutes and antagonists not elsewhere classified, primarily systemic agents, agents primarily affecting blood constituents, analgesics, antipyretics and anti-inflammatory drugs, antiepileptic and antiparkinsonism drugs, sedatives, hypnotics and antianxiety drugs, anaesthetics and therapeutic gases, psychotropic drugs not elsewhere classified, central nervous system stimulants, not elsewhere classified, drugs primarily affecting the autonomic nervous system, agents primarily affecting the cardiovascular system, agents primarily affecting the gastrointestinal system, agents primarily affecting water-balance and mineral and uric acid metabolism, agents primarily acting on smooth and skeletal muscles and the respiratory system, topical agents primarily affecting skin and mucous membrane and ophthalmological, otorhinolaryngological and dental drugs, other and unspecified drugs and medicaments, Bacterial vaccines and Other and specified vaccines and biological substances.  Codes T80 through to T80.9 relate to air embolism following infusion, transfusion and therapeutic injection, vascular complications following infusion, transfusion and therapeutic injection, infections following infusion, transfusion and therapeutic injection, other complications following infusion, transfusion and therapeutic injection, unspecified complication following infusion, transfusion and therapeutic injection.  
			 Codes T88.0 through to T88.7 relate to injection following immunization, other complications following immunization, not elsewhere classified, shock due to anaesthesia, malignant hyperthermia due to anaesthesia, other complications of anaesthesia, anaphylactic shock due to adverse effect of correct drug or medicament properly administered, unspecified adverse effect of drug or medicament. Code Z71.5 relates to drug abuse counselling and surveillance. Code T96.X through to Code T97.X relate to sequelae of poisoning by drugs, medicaments and biological substances and sequelae of toxic effects of substances chiefly nonmedicinal as to source. Code Z50.3 relates to drug rehabilitation.  7. Ungrossed Data: Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed).  Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The Information Centre for health and social care.

Fluoride: Drinking Water

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will ensure that strategic health authorities are required to consult members of the public before artificial fluoride is added to public drinking water;
	(2)  what plans he has for consulting the public prior to introducing fluoride into public water supply.

Ann Keen: Section 3(1) of The Water Fluoridation (Consultation) (England) Regulations 2005, states that, in order to consult and ascertain opinion on proposals for fluoridation schemes, strategic health authorities (SHAs) should publish details of the proposals in one or more newspapers circulating within the area to which the proposals relate, and in such other media accessible within that area as the SHAs consider appropriate. For the purpose of bringing the proposals to the attention of people who would be affected and bodies with an interest. It is therefore for the SHAs to decide whether to undertake consultations.

Fluoride: Drinking Water

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he makes funds available to national groups who disseminate information  (a) in favour of and  (b) against water fluoridation.

Ann Keen: In 2008-09, the only grant the Department has made is one of 129,000 to the National Fluoride Information Centre, which provides evidence based scientific information on research studies carried out into the effect of adding fluoride to water and other mediums such as milk and table salt.

Foetuses: Surgery

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which hospitals perform in-utero surgery; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: Information is not available in the format requested. The table shows the number of finished consultant episodes (FCEs) for surgical operations performed on a foetus by hospital trust in England in 2006-07.
	
		
			   FCEs 
			 United Bristol Healthcare National Health Service Trust 33 
			 Harrogate and District National Health Service Foundation Trust * 
			 Ipswich Hospital National Health Service Trust * 
			 Southampton University Hospitals National Health Service Trust 27 
			 Sheffield Teaching Hospitals National Health Service Foundation Trust 19 
			 King's College Hospital National Health Service Foundation Trust * 
			 Birmingham Women's Health Care National Health Service Trust 37 
			 Hammersmith Hospitals National Health Service Trust 12 
			 Leeds Teaching Hospitals National Health Service Trust 8 
			 Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals National Health Service Trust 29 
			 Central Manchester and Manchester Children's University Hospital * 
			 Nottingham University Hospitals National Health Service Trust 18 
			 County Durham and Darlington National Health Service Foundation Trust * 
			 Total 191 
			  Notes: 1. Data quality Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) are compiled from data sent by over 300 NHS trusts, and primary care trusts (PCTs) in England. Data is also received from a number of independent sector organisations for activity commissioned by the English NHS. The Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data via HES processes. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain.  2. FCE A FCE is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. The figures do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the year. 3. All operations count of episodes These figures represent a count of all FCE's where the procedure was mentioned in any of the 12 (four prior to 2002-03) operation fields in a HES record. A record is only included once in each count, even if an operation is mentioned in more than one operation field of the record.  4. Low numbers Due to reasons of confidentiality, figures between one and five have been suppressed and replaced with '*' (an asterisk). Where it was possible to identify numbers from the total due to a single suppressed number in a row or column, an additional smallest number have been suppressed in order to protect patient confidentiality. 5. Ungrossed data Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (ie the data are ungrossed).

General Practitioners

Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many GPs were practising in each constituency in each year since 1997-98.

Ann Keen: We do not have the numbers of general practitioners practising in each constituency, but we are able to provide numbers by primary care trust. Such information as is available has been placed in the Library.

Health Foods

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what date he last visited a health food shop in his ministerial capacity; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has not visited a health food store in his ministerial capacity.

Health Services

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many times the Secretary of State has asked the Independent Reconfiguration Panel to review changes in the delivery of NHS services following the recommendation of an overview and scrutiny committee in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: The Secretary of State has asked the Independent Reconfiguration Panel (IRP) to review 16 referrals from local Overview and Scrutiny Committees since 2003. Details are given in the following table.
	
		
			   Number of reviews  Referral 
			 2003 1 East Kent(1) 
			
			 2004 0  
			
			 2005 0  
			
			 2006 3 Calderdale and Huddersfield 
			   North Tees and Hartlepool 
			   Gloucestershire 
			
			 2007 8 Manchester 
			   Oxfordshire 
			   Wandsworth(2) 
			   West Sussex(2) 
			   Suffolk 
			   Kent 
			   Birmingham 
			
			 2008 4 Scarborough 
			   Bridlington 
			   East Sussex 
			   Barnet, Enfield and Haringey 
			 (1) East Kent referral to the Secretary of State for Health was made by the local Community Health Council in 2003. (2) For Wandsworth and West Sussex, the IRP undertook initial reviews only and advised the Secretary of State that full reviews were not appropriate.

Health Services: Overseas Visitors

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what estimate his Department has made of the number of people in England who have been unlawfully infected with HIV; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what criteria his Department uses to determine which infections entitle those infected to NHS treatment regardless of immigration status; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  for which medical conditions and in what circumstances individuals are entitled to NHS treatment regardless of their immigration status; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Latest data show that in 2006 there were 48,480 diagnosed HIV infected individuals who accessed HIV related care at national health service sites in England. National HIV surveillance data, collated at the Health Protection Agency Centre for Infections, does not collect information on the immigration status of people accessing treatment for HIV. Therefore, it is not possible to provide the information requested.
	Anyone who is considered to be ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom is fully entitled to all NHS treatment free of charge. This includes HIV treatment. Those who are not ordinarily resident here are deemed overseas visitors and are subject to the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 1989, as amended. They will have to pay for any hospital treatment they receive unless an exemption from charge category applies.
	Some services are themselves exempt from charge, meaning that no one can be charged for them, regardless of their residence or immigration status. These services are:
	treatment given in an accident and emergency (AE) department or in a walk-in centre in respect of services similar to those provided in an AE department;
	treatment given elsewhere than at a hospital, or given by someone not employed by, or under direction of, a trust;
	family planning services;
	treatment for certain communicable diseases in order to protect the public health;
	treatment given in, or as a referral from, a sexually transmitted diseases clinic (except for services in relation to HIV/AIDS, where only the initial diagnostic test and associated counselling is free to all);
	treatment given to people under the provisions of the Mental Health Act 1983; and
	treatment given for mental health problems as part of a court probation order.
	Furthermore, for primary care, treatment that, in the clinical opinion of a general practitioner (GP) or health care professional, is emergency or immediately necessary will be given free of charge irrespective of whether the person is registered with a GP practice, or would be entitled to free hospital treatment.
	The NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 1989, as amended, list those diseases for the treatment of which no charge is to be made. This list is based on a number of public health regulations and comprises:
	notifiable diseases (Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984, Section 10 and Public Health (Infectious Diseases) Regulations 1985);
	diseases to which public health enactments applied (Public Health (Infectious Diseases) Regulations 1968);
	food poisoning and food-borne infections (Public Health (Infectious Diseases) Regulations 1968); and
	other diseases listed (currently severe acute respiratory syndrome).

Health Services: Planning

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what date his Department approved the final version of  (a) the East of England Strategic Health Authority's vision document published on 12 May 2008,  (b) the Yorkshire and the Humber Strategic Health Authority's vision document published on 14 May 2008 and  (c) the South West Strategic Health Authority's vision document published on 15 May 2008.

Ann Keen: The core of the National Health Service Next Stage Review has been a process led by working groups in every NHS region covering two thousand clinicians in total. The vision documents set out the priorities for improving health and health care in each NHS region over the next decade and the challenges that Lord Darzi's final report will respond to shortly. These issues have been discussed with Lord Darzi during the review.

Medical Examinations: Learning Disability

Roger Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions his Department's officials have had with counterparts in Wales on the effectiveness of annual health checks for people with a learning disability.

Ivan Lewis: Departmental officials have been in discussions with officials of the Welsh Assembly about their experience of health checks. They have taken into account experience in Wales in developing good practice to deliver the commitment to introduce regular and comprehensive health checks for people with learning disabilities in England.

Midwives

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many births per full-time equivalent NHS midwife there were in  (a) England and  (b) each region of England in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	National Health Service Hospital and Community Health Services: The number of live births in England per midwife in England by strategic health authority (SHA) area as at 30 September each specified year
	
		
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 England 31.2 32.0 32.2 32.4 33.7 
			   
			 North East SHA 26.4 27.3 27.3 27.9 29.1 
			 North West SHA 24.3 25.5 25.0 26.4 26.8 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber SHA 29.1 29.7 29.7 29.6 33.0 
			 East Midlands SHA 34.5 35.3 36.7 37.5 39.2 
			 West Midlands SHA 29.2 29.4 30.2 31.1 32.4 
			 East of England SHA 36.9 38.1 39.1 37.5 38.4 
			 London SHA 37.5 36.5 37.4 34.9 35.1 
			 South East 35.0 36.8 35.5 35.6 37.1 
			 South Central SHA 34.9 37.2 37.7 39.6 43.1 
			 South West SHA 27.6 28.6 28.7 29.2 30.8 
			  Notes: 1. Birth Registrations 2002-06 as at 31 December each specified year. Figures are based on the full time equivalent numbers of qualified midwifery staff each year. 2. SHA totals 2002-05 have been calculated using previous health authority (HA)/SHA configurations. HAs were reconfigured to become the 28 SHAs in 2002 and were subsequently reconfigured in to 10 SHAs in 2006. 3. Due to overlaps in the HA/SHA reconfigurations, parts of West Pennine HA and North Derbyshire HA were split over Trent SHA and Greater Manchester SHA. These figures were included in the Trent SHA total to give the figure for the new East Midlands SHA.  Source:  The Information for health and social care Non-Medical Workforce Census. Office for National Statistics Birth Registrations 2002-06.

Midwives

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS midwives in  (a) England and  (b) each region of England took maternity leave in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: This information is not collected centrally.

National Clinical Audit Advisory Group

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who the members are of his Department's National Clinical Audit Advisory Group.

Ann Keen: The current members of the National Clinical Audit Advisory Group are:
	Professor Nick Black (Chair);
	Mr. Andrew Middleton;
	Mrs. Boo Armstrong;
	Mr. Daniel Keenan;
	Dr. Geraldine Walters;
	Dr. Jan Van der Meulen;
	Mr. Mark Gritten;
	Mr. Martin Ferris;
	Mr. Michael Peake;
	Mr. Norman Butler; and
	Professor Pauline Ong.

National Clinical Audit and Patients' Outcomes Programme

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the National Clinical Audit and Patients' Outcomes Programme's  (a) current and  (b) future work programme is; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: The National Clinical Audit and Patients' Outcomes Programme's (NCAPOP) 2008-09 work programme, as at 21 April 2008, is as follows (this includes audits that are in development/pilot stage and those that are running):
	 Cancer
	Bowel cancer;
	Head and neck cancer;
	National lung cancer audit;
	Oesophago-gastric (stomach) cancer; and
	Mastectomy and breast reconstruction.
	 Children
	National Neonatal Audit Programme; and
	Paediatric intensive care audit network.
	 Heart
	Adult cardiac surgery;
	Congenital heart disease;
	Coronary interventions;
	Myocardial infarction;
	Cardiac ambulance services;
	Heart rhythm management; and
	Heart failure.
	 Long-term conditions
	Diabetes;
	Renal services; and
	National Joint Registry.
	 Older people
	Stroke: hospital services;
	Carotid endarterectomy; and
	Services for people who have fallen.
	The full 2008-09 programme is shown in the following table.
	A number of these audits will run into 2009-10 and beyond. Decisions on new audits will be taken in due course on advice from the National Clinical Audit Advisory Group and informed by the results of scoping studies.
	
		
			  NCAPOP 2008-09 
			  As at: 21 April 2008  Scoping a possible audit  Tendering in progress  In development or piloting  Recruiting/running 
			  Cancer 
			 Bowel cancer (NBOCAP)ACP/NCASP 
			 Head and neck cancer (DAHNO)BAHNO/NCASP 
			 National lung cancer audit (NLCA)RCP/NCASP 
			 Oesophago-gastric (stomach) cancer   AUGIS/NCASP  
			 Mastectomy and breast reconstruction   RCS/NCASP  
			  
			  Children 
			 National Neonatal Audit Programme (NNAP)RCPCH 
			 Paediatric intensive care audit network (PICANet)University of Leeds 
			 Emergency care for the critically ill or injured child RCPCH
			  
			  Heart 
			 Adult cardiac surgerySCTS/NCASP 
			 Congenital heart disease (including paediatric surgery)SCTS/NCASP 
			 Coronary interventions (eg angioplasty, opening up heart artery)BCIS/NCASP 
			 Myocardial infarction (MINAP) (heart attack)UCLH/NCASP 
			 Cardiac ambulance services (link to MINAP)ASA/NCASP 
			 Heart rhythm management (pacing/implantable defibrillators)HRUK/NCASP 
			 Heart failureBSH/NCASP 
			  
			  Long-term conditions 
			 DiabetesNCD/NCASP 
			 Renal services (vascular access; patient transport)   RA/NCASP  
			 National Joint Registry (NJR)BOA/Northgate 
			 Asthma RCP
			  
			  Mental health 
			 Dementia   RCPsychiat  
			 Eating disorders RCPsychiat
			 Psychological therapies   RCPsychiat  
			  
			  Older people 
			 Stroke: hospital servicesRCP 
			 Carotid endarterectomy (UKCEA) (preventing stroke)RCP/VSGBI 
			 Services for people who have fallenRCP 
			 Stroke: patients' pathway, focusing on primary care Univ. Birm.
			 Dignity/'Essence of care' in hospital and other settings RCNI
			  Notes: ACP Association of Coloproctologists of Great Britain and Ireland, ASA Ambulance Services Association, AUGIS Association of Upper GI Surgeons, BAHNO British Association of Head and Neck Oncologists, BCIS British Cardiac Intervention Society, BOA British Orthopaedic Association, BSH British Society for Heart Failure, HRUK Heart Rhythm UK, NCD National Clinical Director, NCASP National Clinical Audit Support Programme (part of Health and Social Care Information Centre, HSCIC), RA Renal Association, RCNI Royal College of Nursing Institute, RCP Royal College of Psychiatrists, RCPCH Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, RCPsychiat Royal College of Psychiatrists, SCTS Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery, UCLH University College Hospital London, Univ. Birm. University of Birmingham Department of Primary Care and General Practice, VSGBI Vascular Society of Great Britain and Ireland.

NHS: Drugs

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the evidential basis is for the statement in the impact assessment on the statutory scheme to control prices of branded NHS medicines that any change in UK pricing will have a negligible effect on the viability of these global businesses.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department's 'Consultation on a Statutory Scheme to Control the Price of Branded NHS Medicines' and the accompanying impact assessment, issued on 18 June 2008, set out how the proposed measures that are subject to consultation are estimated to result in a lost profits to the pharmaceutical industry of 280 million a year. The United Kingdom comprises only 3.5 per cent. of the global market and in patent medicine prices will continue to be significantly greater than manufacturing and distribution costs. Therefore the Department has concluded that, although there will be an impact on profits for the global pharmaceutical industry as a result of the proposed measures, these will not be significant enough to affect the viability of global pharmaceutical companies.
	The part of the consultation dealing with the price cut and measures to limit the price of out of patent brands ends on 25 September 2008. The consultation document invites comments on the impact assessment, in particular the analysis of costs and benefits. Copies of 'Consultation on a Statutory Scheme to Control the Price of Branded NHS Medicines' have been placed in the Library and are also available on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Consultations/Liveconsultations/DH_085523

NHS: Finance

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what date he expects to announce funding allocations for the NHS for 2009-10.

Ben Bradshaw: A specified date has yet to be confirmed for revenue allocations to primary care trusts for 2009-10 and 2010-11 but the intention is that this will be announced before the summer recess.

NHS: Managers

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) primary care trusts and  (b) strategic health authorities have a medical director in post.

Ann Keen: This information is not collected centrally. The non-medical census which collects data on numbers includes directors within the 'senior managers' category but this is not sub-divided in more detail.

NHS: Managers

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidelines exist on the appointment of medical directors to  (a) primary care trusts and  (b) strategic health authorities.

Ann Keen: There is currently no departmental guidance on the appointment of medical directors to primary care trusts and strategic health authorities.

NHS: Manpower

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many physicians' assistants are in post in each  (a) primary care trust and  (b) hospital trust.

Ann Keen: The information is not collected centrally.
	The role of physicians' assistant is a new role and is not identified as a separate staff group in the national health service workforce census.

NHS: Manpower

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many physicians' assistants in England  (a) were in training and  (b) completed their training in each of the last three years.

Ann Keen: This information was not collected prior to the 2007-08 financial year. The final figures for 2007-08 will be available later in the summer.

NHS: Mentally Ill

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidelines exist within the NHS for the management of NHS staff with mental health problems.

Ann Keen: The healthy workplaces handbook is produced by NHS Employers, who represent trusts in England on workforce issues. The handbook includes a section on mental health and employment, which provides national health service managers and occupational health professionals with the tools they need to assess the suitability of persons having mental health problems who wish to work or train, or who are already working in the service.

NHS: Mentally Ill

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the annual cost to the NHS of mental health problems experienced by NHS staff.

Ann Keen: This information is not held centrally.

NHS: Personal Records

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 3 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 910-11W, on the NHS: personal records, if he will break down the number of nutrition-related adverse incidents reported to the National Reporting and Learning System by area of incident.

Ann Keen: The following table shows a list of nutrition-related adverse incidents reported to the National Reporting and Learning System by each strategic health authority (SHA) area.
	
		
			  Date of incident by SHA (January 2005-December 2007) 
			   SHA  
			  Date of incident  Missing data( 1)  East Midlands SHA  East of England SHA  London SHA  North East SHA  North West SHA  South Central SHA  South East Coast SHA  South West SHA  West Midlands SHA  Yorkshire and the Humber SHA  Total 
			 January 2005 91 64 57 148 22 156 34 51 54 22 74 773 
			 February 2005 111 47 76 148 19 172 41 37 65 26 106 848 
			 March 2005 138 90 69 134 29 221 28 64 58 21 103 955 
			 April 2005 207 79 50 156 38 189 56 53 73 64 136 1,101 
			 May 2005 226 111 98 227 33 253 50 64 69 49 162 1,342 
			 June 2005 222 128 88 216 40 218 43 70 98 60 174 1,357 
			 July 2005 272 136 123 203 37 259 36 68 123 81 142 1,480 
			 August 2005 255 128 125 187 36 220 47 69 97 70 148 1,382 
			 September 2005 263 135 138 245 32 223 61 75 95 77 157 1,501 
			 October 2005 290 110 158 242 35 242 82 72 124 65 141 1,561 
			 November 2005 316 118 135 248 38 227 84 80 155 93 159 1,653 
			 December 2005 243 112 174 234 30 211 102 72 117 80 145 1,520 
			 January 2006 290 146 195 259 41 247 81 86 149 98 139 1,731 
			 February 2006 282 146 166 251 38 252 98 86 129 77 139 1,664 
			 March 2006 347 140 208 242 45 259 100 99 161 89 178 1,868 
			 April 2006 304 125 156 255 52 246 106 97 174 106 182 1,803 
			 May 2006 373 151 190 268 64 308 101 89 166 102 195 2,007 
			 June 2006 360 157 228 287 59 256 119 119 186 111 202 2,084 
			 July 2006 354 185 211 305 39 277 118 108 184 110 212 2,103 
			 August 2006 342 241 177 284 63 260 94 121 162 91 237 2,072 
			 September 2006 310 197 215 282 72 258 110 86 181 115 227 2,053 
			 October 2006 258 221 256 298 76 305 132 110 200 106 209 2,171 
			 November 2006 207 201 238 326 77 299 130 97 205 128 207 2,115 
			 December 2006 139 194 212 268 74 274 115 93 181 109 207 1,866 
			 January 2007 142 226 264 361 95 306 150 104 249 145 222 2,264 
			 February 2007 141 218 219 321 94 302 121 120 206 137 208 2,087 
			 March 2007 141 201 281 402 94 280 159 127 223 161 201 2,270 
			 April 2007 196 212 272 373 101 277 126 144 253 173 235 2,362 
			 May 2007 195 250 318 379 120 316 181 178 216 142 229 2,524 
			 June 2007 193 243 296 410 132 362 168 154 202 155 248 2,563 
			 July 2007 263 219 383 406 125 337 179 156 223 191 215 2,697 
			 August 2007 197 244 306 359 102 327 133 155 224 192 226 2,465 
			 September 2007 192 244 303 408 111 300 135 127 259 167 218 2,464 
			 October 2007 219 253 326 366 128 368 153 170 279 187 268 2,717 
			 November 2007 211 252 287 383 146 325 152 148 215 159 215 2,493 
			 December 2007 178 205 282 352 105 291 115 126 213 160 205 2,232 
			 Total 8,468 6,129 7,280 10,233 2,442 9,623 3,740 3,675 5,968 3,919 6,671 68,148 
			 (1) Contains incidents where a matching SHA code was not found this will include incidents submitted by e-form, NHS direct, community pharmacy and Welsh incidents.  Source: National Patient Safety Agency

NHS: Private Patients

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients have been refused further NHS treatment in Chorley because of the prohibition on co-payments in each year since 1997.

Ben Bradshaw: This information is not held centrally.

NHS: Reorganisation

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health in which constituencies the regional stakeholder events on  (a) the Darzi Review and  (b) the reform of the care and support system will be held; and in which constituencies the regional stakeholder events for the new deal for carers were held.

Ann Keen: The national health service next stage review has engaged with stakeholders at a variety of events including deliberative events, a stakeholder forum, national clinical summit and at events organised by stakeholder organisations in the following locations:
	 Constituency
	Cities of London and Westminster
	Holborn and St. Pancras
	Yeovil
	Hackney South and Shoreditch
	Hammersmith and Fulham
	Leeds Central
	Colne Valley
	Sunderland North
	Gateshead East and Washington West
	Manchester Central
	Wythenshawe and Sale East
	North West Hampshire
	Oxford West and Abingdon
	Derby South
	Tiverton and Honiton
	Exeter
	Hastings and Rye
	Ashford
	Birmingham Edgbaston
	Harlow
	Epping Forest
	Oldham East and Saddleworth
	Vauxhall
	Poplar and Canning Town
	Birmingham Ladywood
	Maidstone and the Weald
	Northavon
	Nottingham South
	Manchester Central
	Newcastle Upon Tyne North
	City of York
	Norwich North
	Reading East
	Bury St. Edmunds
	Bridgwater
	Tonbridge and Malling
	Bolton West
	Tyne Bridge
	Strategic health authorities have also undertaken their own process of engagement with stakeholders and will continue to do so following the publication of their local visions.
	 Locations of the regional stakeholder events on the reform of the care and support system:
	 Constituency
	Manchester Central
	Leicester South
	Leeds Central
	Holborn and St. Pancras
	Meriden
	Tyne Bridge
	Bristol West
	Norwich North
	Brighton, Pavilion
	 Locations of the regional carer events for the Carers' Strategy:
	 Constituency
	Birmingham, Ladywood
	Exeter
	Guildford
	Leeds Central
	Maidstone and the Weald
	Manchester Central
	Tyne Bridge
	Norwich South
	Nottingham South
	 Location of the deliberative events for the Carers' Strategy:
	 Constituency
	Cities of London and Westminster
	North Southwark and Bermondsey (Young Carers Deliberative event)
	Leeds Central
	 Location of the final consultative event for the Carers' Strategy:
	 Constituency
	Leeds Central

NHS: Training and posts

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many dermatology  (a) training and  (b) consultancy posts were established in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many ophthalmology  (a) training and  (b) consultancy posts were established in each of the last five years;
	(3)  how many psychiatry  (a) training and  (b) consultancy posts were established in each of the last five years;
	(4)  how many  (a) training and  (b) consultancy posts were established for (i) neurology, (ii) cardiology and (iii) gynaecology in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: The number of training posts and consultancy posts that are established each year is not collected centrally. The National Health Service Workforce Census does collect the number of staff in post as at 30 September each year and these are shown in the following tables.
	
		
			  Dermatology 
			  Number (headcount) 
			   2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Consultants 415 440 450 454 444 
			 Registrar Group 155 183 195 188 205 
			 Senior House Officer 75 71 72 56 27 
			 Foundation Year 29 13 
			 House Officer and Foundation Programme Year 1 3 4 1 4 5 
		
	
	
		
			  Ophthalmology 
			  Number (headcount) 
			   2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Consultants 755 793 820 816 839 
			 Registrar Group 385 431 450 434 638 
			 Senior House Officer 439 426 442 391 117 
			 Foundation Year 236 47 
			 House Officer and Foundation Programme Year 1 1 3 5 7 6 
		
	
	
		
			  Psychiatry Group 
			  Number (headcount) 
			   2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Consultants 3,229 3,555 3,759 3,805 3,957 
			 Registrar Group 1,006 1,034 1,032 1,022 2,796 
			 Senior House Officer 1,997 2,426 2,538 2,554 484 
			 Foundation Year 288 195 
			 House Officer and Foundation Programme Year 1 14 10 28 50 66 
		
	
	
		
			  Neurology 
			  Number (headcount) 
			   2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Consultants 410 449 487 506 539 
			 Registrar Group 190 214 201 231 297 
			 Senior House Officer 149 153 174 163 46 
			 Foundation Year 228 23 
			 House Officer and Foundation Programme Year 1 4 7 4 8 7 
		
	
	
		
			  Cardiology 
			  Number (headcount) 
			   2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Consultants 659 710 725 752 752 
			 Registrar Group 449 537 578 591 814 
			 Senior House Officer 310 359 374 307 80 
			 Foundation Year 264 71 
			 House Officer and Foundation Programme Year 1 56 65 76 96 113 
		
	
	
		
			  Obstetrics and gynaecology 
			  Number (headcount) 
			   2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Consultants 1,353 1,413 1,458 1,506 1,506 
			 Registrar Group 973 1,099 1,290 1,328 2,197 
			 Senior House Officer 1,451 1,472 1,522 1,318 424 
			 Foundation Year 2184 229 
			 House Officer and Foundation Programme Year 1 19 26 45 58 84

Organs: Donors

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what progress he has made on implementing the recommendations of the Organ Donation Taskforce; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what steps he has taken to develop the network of donation transplant coordinators recommended by the Organ Donation Taskforce.

Ann Keen: The Department has established an Organ Donation Taskforce Programme Delivery Board, chaired by Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, medical director of the national health service to oversee implementation of the recommendations.
	NHS Blood and Transplant, which is represented on the Delivery Board, is leading on work to develop a network of donor transplant co-ordinators and has an agreed strategy in place for the establishment of four teams in 2008-09. The remainder, likely to be a further eight teams, will be established in 2009-10.

Pregnant Women: Young People

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the conception rate among people aged  (a) under 18 and  (b) under 16 years was in each of the last five years, broken down by region.

Meg Hillier: I have been asked to reply.
	Available figures are estimates of the number of conceptions that resulted in a live birth, stillbirth or legal termination.
	Conception rate for girls aged  (a) under 18 and  (b) under 16 years by Government Office Region (GOR), England and Wales, 2002 to 2006 (the most recent year for which figures are available) are shown in the following table. Figures for 2006 are provisional.
	
		
			  (a) Conception rate for girls aged under 18 by Government Office Region (GOR). 2002-2006 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 England and Wales 42.9 42.4 41.8 41.4 40.7 
			 England 42.7 42.2 41.6 41.3 40.4 
			 North East 51.1 52.2 50.8 50.0 48.3 
			 North West 45.3 45.1 45.7 46.6 44.0 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 47.0 46.7 47.3 47.7 46.6 
			 East Midlands 40.4 41.2 40.8 40.2 39.6 
			 West Midlands 47.0 47.4 45.2 45.5 46.4 
			 East of England 34.6 33.3 32.7 32.7 33.2 
			 London 52.8 51.8 49.2 46.0 45.4 
			 South East 34.4 33.1 33.3 34.1 32.9 
			 South West 35.3 34.1 34.3 34.0 32.9 
			 Wales 46.0 45.7 45.1 43.6 44.8 
			  Note:  1. Figures for 2006 are provisional. 2. Rates are per 1,000 females aged 15-17. 
		
	
	
		
			  (b) Conception rate for girls aged under 16 by Government Office Region (GOR). 2002-2006. 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 England and Wales 7.9 7.9 7.5 7.8 7.7 
			 England 7.9 7.9 7.5 7.8 7.7 
			 North East 9.3 10.2 9.9 9.8 9.7 
			 North West 8.0 8.6 7.8 8.5 8.5 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 9.4 8.8 8.7 9.0 9.6 
			 East Midlands 7.5 7.3 7.3 7.7 7.1 
			 West Midlands 8.6 8.7 8.4 8.8 9.0 
			 East of England 6.3 6.1 5.7 6.0 5.8 
			 London 9.8 9.9 9.0 8.6 8.6 
			 South East 6.4 6.4 5.9 6.4 5.9 
			 South West 6.2 6.4 6.3 6.7 6.5 
			 Wales 8.4 8.1 7.5 7.9 8.6 
			  Note:  1. Figures for 2006 are provisional. 2. Rates are per 1,000 females aged 13-15.

Respiratory System: Durham

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his most recent assessment is of the incidence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in County Durham.

Ann Keen: The information is not available in the requested format. However, the following table contains data for the prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in County Durham Primary Care Trust (PCT) area. This information is extracted from the Quality and Outcomes Framework for 2006-07 data tables showing prevalence in PCT areas. The information can be found on the Information Centre for health and social care website at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/our-services/improving-patient-care/the-quality-and-outcomes-framework-qof-2006/07/qof-2006-07-data-tables
	
		
			  County Durham PCT 
			   Number/percentage 
			 Number of practices 73 
			 Sum of list sizes 523,901 
			 Sum of COPD register counts 11,995 
			   
			  COPD unadjusted prevalence (percentage)  
			 PCT 2.3 
			 England 1.4 
			  Notes: Definition of prevalence Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) prevalence information for 2006-07 is based on the 8,372 practices that were in the QOF achievement dataset. For 17 of the 19 areas of the clinical domain, the Quality Management and Analysis System (QMAS) captures the number of patients on the clinical register for each practice. (The other two clinical areas, depression and smoking indicators, are based on subsets of other clinical registers.) The number of patients on the clinical registers can be used to calculate measures of disease prevalence, expressing the number of patients on each register as a percentage of the number of patients on practices' lists. Raw prevalence for each clinical area is defined as a percentage of patients on a practice list: Raw prevalence = (number on clinical register/number on practice list) x 100  QOF prevalence It is important to emphasise that QOF registers do not necessarily equate to prevalence, as defined by epidemiologists. For example, prevalence figures based on QOF registers (eg obesity) may differ from prevalence figures from other sources because of coding or definitional issues. QOF registers are constructed to underpin indicators on quality of care. QMAS only uses 'Read codes' that are common to all three versions. It is difficult to interpret year-on-year changes in the size of QOF registers. For example, a gradual rise in QOF prevalence could be due partly to epidemiological factors (such as an ageing population) or due partly to increased case finding.

Spina Bifida: Research

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on research into spina bifida in each of the last three years.

Dawn Primarolo: Over the last 10 years, the main part of the Department's total expenditure on health research has been devolved to and managed by national health service organisations. Details of individual NHS supported research projects undertaken during that time, including a number concerned with spina bifida, are available on the archived national research register at
	https://portal.nihr.ac.uk/Pages/NRRArchiveSearch.aspx.
	The Department's Policy Research Programme has at the same time funded the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, the Northern Congenital Abnormality Survey, and the Congenital Abnormality Register for Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire, each of which has undertaken work of relevance to spina bifida
	The Medical Research Council (MRC) is one of the main agencies through which the Government support medical and clinical research. The MRC is an independent body that receives its grant in aid from the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.
	The MRC funded three projects relevant to spina bifida between 2004-05 and 2006-07 at a total cost of 1.4 million, and has recently awarded a grant of 606,000 for research aimed at understanding the molecular causes and mechanisms of prevention of inositol-preventable neural tube defects.
	In 1991, an MRC-funded randomised, controlled trial showed that folic acid supplements protect women with a prior pregnancy affected by spina bifida from recurrence. This research resulted in 10 per cent. of the world's flour being fortified with folic acid, preventing thousands of cases of serious birth deformities and saving large sums of money in health care costs.

Strokes: Rehabilitation

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he plans to take to improve support for people with communication disabilities following strokes; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: The new National Stroke Strategy, published in December 2007 (copies of which are available in the Library), sets out 20 quality markers for the provision of high quality treatment and care for adult stroke survivors. Of those quality markers seven link directly to the kind of support and services which those who have had a stroke and their carers need in the community. These include support with communication disabilities and other high quality rehabilitation, information, advice, practical and peer support throughout the care pathway, in line with individual need.
	In addition to the funding that has gone to primary care trusts, 105 million of central funding over three years will support implementation. This includes 45 million to local authorities (LAs) to help them develop or accelerate their existing provision of long-term support to those who live with the effects of a stroke. We expect that LAs will work with their national health service partners in this.

Strokes: Speech Impaired

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what  (a) funding and  (b) advice is being made available to Wakefield council for the commissioning of communication disability support groups for those who have had strokes;
	(2)  how many people were diagnosed with a stroke-related communication disability in  (a) Wakefield district primary care trust area,  (b) West Yorkshire strategic health authority area and  (c) Hemsworth constituency in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: The new National Stroke Strategy, published in December 2007 (copies of which are available in the Library), sets out 20 quality markers for the provision of high quality treatment and care for adult stroke survivors. Of those quality markers, seven link directly to the kind of support and services which those who have had a stroke and their carers need in the community. These include support with communication disabilities and other high quality rehabilitation, information, advice, practical and peer support throughout the care pathway, in line with individual need.
	In addition to the funding that has gone to primary care trusts, 105 million of central funding over three years will support implementation. This includes 45 million to local authorities (LAs), including Wakefield metropolitan district council, to help them develop or accelerate their existing provision of long-term support to those who live with the effects of a stroke. The strategy recognises that some people who have had a stroke, including those with aphasia and other communication difficulties, will have specific support needs. We expect that LAs will use some the new funding we have made available to meet these needs in line with local needs and priorities.
	Information on the number of people diagnosed with a stroke-related communication disability is not collected centrally.

Strokes: Speech Impaired

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of communication support services for those who have had strokes.

Ann Keen: The Department, with stakeholders from across the stroke community, including academics, clinicians, the voluntary sector and stroke survivors and their carers, looked at the available evidence in relation to support services when preparing the new National Stroke Strategy (copies are available in the Library). The Strategy was published in December 2007 and makes recommendations to the national health service about the most effective way to support those who have had a stroke.

Strokes: Speech Impaired

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what communication support services are available for those who have had strokes; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: This information is not held centrally. However, the new National Stroke Strategy (copies of which are available in the Library) recognises that people who have had a stroke, including those with aphasia and other communication difficulties, will have specific support needs. The services which primary care trusts (PCTs) and local authorities (LAs) provide for those people will depend on local needs and priorities. The Strategy also makes clear that those with aphasia and related conditions should be involved in the planning of the support services they require.
	In addition to the funding that has gone to PCTs, central funding over three years will support implementation of the new national Strategy, including 45 million to local authorities to help them develop or accelerate their existing provision of long-term support to those who live with the effects of a stroke. We expect that PCTs and LAs will use the funding available to meet these needs in line with local needs and priorities.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan: Refugees

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many refugees there are in Afghanistan; and where the largest refugee camps are.

Kim Howells: There are no refugee camps in Afghanistan, but there are a number of refugee camps in Pakistan and Iran. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that there are 2.1 million registered refugees in Pakistan and a further 1 million unregistered. Likewise in Iran there are approximately 1 million registered refugees and a further 1 million unregistered. UNHCR also believe that there are approximately 176,500 internally displaced persons in Afghanistan. It is believed that 31,500 of these were displaced by the on-going conflict.

Africa: Administration of Justice

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his Department's latest estimate is of the proportion of arrests in  (a) Nigeria,  (b) Ethiopia,  (c) Sudan and  (d) Chad which are followed by a case investigation and court hearing.

Meg Munn: In its 2007 Annual Report, the Nigerian police stated that 131,151 people were arrested and 80,191 people were prosecuted in Nigeria. We are unable to provide similar data for Ethiopia, Sudan and Chad as to do so would incur a disproportionate cost. In Nigeria, the UK supports the Federal Ministry of Justice in developing its justice information management system. It also works with Lagos and Enugu States on enhancing criminal case tracking and management capabilities. In Ethiopia, the UK supports a variety of related initiatives including promoting better record management in prisons.

Burma: Politics and Government

John MacDougall: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the political situation in Burma; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: We remain deeply concerned at the political situation in Burma. The regime continues to ignore the calls of the UN Security Council for a genuine and inclusive dialogue with the opposition and ethnic groups. Such a dialogue is the only way the country will achieve the national reconciliation, prosperity and stability it needs now more than ever. The renewal of Aung San Suu Kyi's house arrest on 27 May, and the regime's decision to undertake its flawed referendum in the midst of a humanitarian crisis, underline the urgency of making progress. As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister said on 19 June 2008, the recent referendum lacks all credibility and the new constitution cannot provide a sound basis for Burma's future.
	Working in support of the UN Secretary-General's Good Offices Mission and encouraging Burma's neighbours to play a more active role, we will continue to do all we can to promote democracy and respect for human rights in Burma.

Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Scheme

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which 10 UK universities have the highest number of students supported by the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan.

Jim Murphy: The 12 universities with the highest number of Foreign and Commonwealth Office-funded scholars under the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan in 2007-08 (three universities are in 10(th) equal place) are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  University  Total 
			 University of Oxford 32 
			 University of Cambridge 13 
			 London School of Economics and Political Science 9 
			 King's College London 5 
			 London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine 5 
			 University of Sussex 4 
			 School of Oriental and African Studies 3 
			 University College London 3 
			 University of Warwick 3 
			 Goldsmiths College 2 
			 University of Durham 2 
			 University of Edinburgh 2 
			 Institutions with one award holder 9 
			 Total 92

Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Scheme

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of overseas students receiving funding from the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Scheme are studying at  (a) undergraduate,  (b) Masters and  (c) doctoral level.

Jim Murphy: The following proportion of Foreign and Commonwealth Office-funded scholars under the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan in 2007-08 are studying at Master's and Doctoral level. There are no awards at undergraduate level.
	
		
			  Level of Study  Degree  Award-Holders  Percentage 
			 Master's Master of Philosophy research 4  
			  Master of Research 1  
			  Bachelor of Civil Law 1  
			  Bachelor of Philosophy 1  
			  Master of Law 4  
			  Master of Arts, taught 6  
			  Master of Fine Arts 1  
			  Master of Public Administration 1  
			  Master of Philosophy, taught 5  
			  Master of Science, taught 14  
			  Master's Total  38 41 
			 Doctoral Split-Site Doctorate of Philosophy 1  
			  Doctorate of Philosophy 23  
			  Master of Philosophy research (initial registration) 4  
			  Doctorate of Philosophy 26  
			  Doctoral Total  54 59 
			 Total  92 100

Departmental Pay

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the average pay per hour worked by  (a) permanent and  (b) temporary staff in his Department in the last period for which figures are available, broken down by pay band.

Meg Munn: The gross rates of pay per hour worked for staff in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) during the financial year 2007-08 are set out in the following table. We do not hold details centrally of actual rates paid to temporary staff by hiring managers. We have therefore provided the minimum rate for this category of staff.
	
		
			  FCO grade  Civil service equivalent  Permanent staff rate (average) ()  Temporary staff rate (minimum) () 
			 Band A Administrative Assistant, Administrative Officer 9.73 7.84 
			 Band B Executive Officer 12.22 10.41 
			 Band C Higher Executive Officer, Senior Executive Officer 16.08 11.58 
			 Band D Grade 6, Grade 7 24.46 19.73 
			 Senior Management Structure (SMS) Payband 1 Senior Civil Service (SCS) Payband 1 34.96 29.85 
			 SMS Payband 2 SCS Payband 2 47.45 43.42 
			 SMS Payband 3 and 4 SCS Payband 3 68.03 53.19

Departmental Vetting

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what procedures his Department follows for checking the criminal records of employees; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: All Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) employees and contractors/consultants are subjected to criminal record checks as part of the national security vetting process. The FCO has direct links to the police national computer, which shows both spent and unspent convictions.

Departmental Vetting

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what percentage of successful applicants for jobs in his Department are subjected to a criminal records check; how many  (a) successful applicants and  (b) criminal records checks there were in each of the last 10 years; how many successful applicants were found to have a criminal record after a criminal records check took place in each of the last 10 years; whether the selection of successful candidates to be subjected to a criminal records check is random or targeted; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: All successful applicants for jobs at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office are subject to criminal record checks as part of the national security vetting process. Further information in respect of the number of successful applicants and those found to have a criminal record after a criminal records check could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

European External Action Service

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of the European Commission's report on the COREPERCommittee of Permanent Representativesmeetings on the European External Action Service held on 7 and 13 May 2008.

Jim Murphy: holding answer 13 June 2008
	It is for the European Commission to decide what it does with internal records of meetings attended by its officials.

Iran: Sanctions

John MacDougall: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the European Union's new financial sanctions on Iran with particular reference to Iran's uranium enrichment programme; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: On 23 June the EU formally approved the listing of several Iranian individuals and entities, including Bank Melli, under its previous Common Positions. The UK has long argued for EU measures against Iran to reinforce those already imposed in UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1737, UNSCR 1747 and UNSCR 1803. We will pursue further EU action in the coming months and will argue for rigorous EU implementation, of UNSCR 1803 in a new Common Position, which is currently under discussion. The Government fully support strengthening sanctions against Iran, including financial measures, as part of the E3+3's dual-track process of engagement and pressure, to persuade Iran to comply with the Security Council and co-operate fully with the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Iraq: Armed Conflict

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the reasons for recent trends in the levels of violence in Iraq; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The security situation in Iraq varies from province to province. The security situation in Iraq has improved significantly over the course of the second half of 2007 and 2008. In and around Baghdad, violence has reduced to levels not seen since 2005.
	There are a number of factors that have contributed towards the downturn in levels of violence across Iraq. The increased capacity and capability of the Iraqi security forces has had a positive impact in reducing levels of violence. Other factors include the surge of US forces and the emergence of predominantly Sunni tribal 'Awakening' Councils and Sons of Iraq/Concerned Local Citizens, who have turned against al-Qa'eda. The continued ceasefire declared by Moqtada al Sadr in August 2007 has also had a positive effect in the south, although we remain concerned about violence committed by militant elements linked to the Sadrist movement.

Iraq: Military Bases

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Government's policy is on a status of forces agreement permitting US forces to establish permanent military bases in Iraq and granting US forces immunity from Iraqi law; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The US and the Government of Iraq are currently discussing the legal basis for the presence of US military forces following the expiry of UN Security Council Resolution 1790 mandate at the end of 2008. These discussions are essentially a matter for the two countries concerned. We are following their progress closely, however, and are in discussion with coalition partners and the Government of Iraq over our own legal requirements following the end of 2008, with a view to ensuring that our military (and civilian) assistance to Iraq remains on a sound legal footing.

Iraq: Politics and Government

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Government's policy is on development of a mainstream political party by Muqtada al-Sadr in Iraq if the Mahdi Army disbands; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: We encourage all communities in Iraq to engage with the political process and to turn their backs on violence. Political engagement by all sectors of Iraqi society will be crucial in achieving lasting progress on national reconciliation and we continue to support the Government of Iraq in efforts to achieve this goal.
	However, we remain concerned that part of Muqtada al-Sadr's 13 June statement stated that his organisation would continue to attack coalition forces. As Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki has said, weapons should only be in the hands of the Iraqi security forces. Coalition forces are in Iraq at the request of the Iraqi government and under a UN mandate; they should be able to continue their job of helping to build a stable and secure Iraq without fear of attack.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the number of  (a) rockets and  (b) mortar bombs launched into Israeli territory from (i) Gaza and (ii) the Lebanon in each week since January 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: Further to the hon. Member's question of 17 June 2008,  Official Report, column 814W, we do not have a detailed breakdown of the figures. However, according to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, almost 1,000 rockets and over 1,000 mortar bombs fired from the Gaza Strip have struck southern Israel between January 2008 and May 2008.
	Since January 2007 there have been two incidents of rockets being fired from Lebanon into Israel. On 17 June 2007 two rockets fired from Lebanon hit the town of Kiryat Shemona in northern Israel. On 8 January 2008 two rockets fired from Lebanon hit the Israeli town of Shlomi. The UK condemns these attacks which are a clear violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701. The UK fully supports the efforts of the UN Interim Forces in Lebanon to prevent such attacks in the future.

Russia: British Council

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Russian counterpart on the conduct of British Council activities in Russia.

Jim Murphy: holding answer 25 June 2008
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed the British Council with his Russian counterpart Foreign Minister Lavrov during their bilateral meeting in London on 1 May 2008.
	The British Council operates in Moscow under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (1963) and the 1994 bilateral UK/Russia Agreement on Co-operation in Education, Science and Culture.

Sudan: Human Rights

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of progress towards establishing a National Human Rights Commission in Sudan; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: The 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) established the National Constitutional Review Commission (NCRC) which was mandated to set up the National Human Rights Commission. The NCRC has drafted the necessary legislation but this has not yet been passed. In the south, a Southern Sudan Human Rights Commission was set up in June 2006. The Interim National Constitution, adopted in 2005 under the CPA, includes a Bill of Rights that enshrines the principle of human rights at all levels of government and society.

Sudan: Human Rights

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals he is considering to strengthen the UN Mission in Sudan's human rights mandate; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: The UK remains closely involved in supporting the reviews of the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) mandate. UN Security Council Resolution 1590, which first mandated UNMIS, ensured that UNMIS has adequate human rights presence and expertise. We support the UN's assessment that the extant mandate is sufficient to underpin UNMIS's monitoring and reporting of human rights violations.

Sudan: Human Rights

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what international mechanisms exist to investigate allegations of human rights abuses by Sudanese armed forces; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: Both the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) and the UN-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) incorporate an extensive human rights network, with officers investigating alleged human rights abuses by any party. Both UNMIS and UNAMID produce a weekly report of such allegations. Where there is evidence of specific human rights abuse by the Sudanese armed forcesor any other warring factionwe raise it with the appropriate authorities.

Sudan: Peace Negotiations

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the risk of the conflict in Darfur affecting the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in Sudan; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: The conflict in Darfur has drawn national and international attention away from implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). The census carried out in April and May was a milestone in preparing for elections, but high numbers of people displaced by conflict pose significant challenges to achieving free and fair elections.
	The CPA is the bedrock for future peace and stability throughout Sudan. The conflict in Darfur will not be resolved without successful implementation of the CPA. We are working with all parties and international partners to implement the CPA, end the conflict in Darfur and to bring lasting peace to Sudan.

Sudan: Peace Negotiations

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect of the recent clashes in the Abyei area of Sudan on  (a) the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in Sudan and  (b) the conflict in Darfur; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: The fighting in Abyei in mid-May posed a serious threat to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). The National Congress Party and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement have shown their commitment to the CPA by agreeing on 8 June a road map to resolve the Abyei dispute.
	The CPA is the bedrock for future peace and stability throughout Sudan. The conflict in Darfur will not be resolved without the successful implementation of the CPA. We are working with both parties and international partners to implement fully the Abyei road map and the CPA and to find a lasting solution to the conflict in Darfur.

Sudan: Peace Negotiations

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made towards developing a joint conflict management strategy along the North-South border in Sudan between the UN Mission in Sudan and the UN country team as referred to in the UN Secretary General's report to the UN Security Council (S/2008/267); and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: The UN, supported by the international community, has a strategy to support implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and has deployed a multi-functional military and civil mission to do so. This includes the monitoring of areas of tension along the border. The UN Development Programme held discussions in June on developing a common strategy for the border and for the transitional areas.
	The UN Mission in Sudan and UN agencies contributed to a stability and development assessment of the three disputed areas, led by the Department for International Development, which was completed in April this year. The second phase of the assessment, covering the south and the border region, will take place in September/October of this year. The UN continues to review and adjust its focus through assessment and renewal of its mandates.

Terrorism

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to paragraph 3.27 of the National Security Strategy of the United Kingdom, Cm 7291, which states he suspects of state-sponsored terrorism.

Jim Murphy: As the National Security Strategy says, we are alert to the possibility of sponsorship of terrorist activity by states. However, it is the long-standing policy of the Government not to comment on intelligence matters and it would not be in the interest of national security to discuss, in public, our assessment of possible links between terrorist groups and individual states.

Terrorism: International Co-operation

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made on joint working against global terrorism since the 20 September 2004 joint declaration with India.

Jim Murphy: The UK and India enjoy a close working relationship on countering terrorism and extremism. This is underpinned by Prime Ministerial agreement at annual UK/India summits to work together in specific areas.
	At the most recent summit in January we agreed to intensify mutual exchange of views, experiences and practical cooperation in the fight against terrorism. We have agreed to build on existing co-operation, including in the protection of critical national infrastructure, mass transit systems and the security of major sporting eventsincluding the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games and the 2012 London Olympics. In addition, we have agreed to expand co-operation on civil aviation security and crisis management and to establish a new bilateral dialogue on terrorist financing.
	Multilaterally, the UK and India remain committed to pursuing an agreement in the UN on the Comprehensive Convention against International Terrorism. The UK continues to support India's request for full membership of the Financial Action Task Force.
	We expect to further strengthen co-operation through a meeting of the Indo-UK Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism later this year.

United Arab Emirates: Drugs

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many UK citizens were  (a) arrested and  (b) sentenced for drugs offences in the United Arab Emirates in each of the last five years.

Jim Murphy: The number of UK citizens who have been arrested and sentenced for drugs offences in the United Arab Emirates in each of the past five years are as follows:
	 Abu Dhabi
	Drugs related offences:
	2004-05three arrested and sentenced, one arrested and deported in 2006
	2006-07one arrested and sentenced, one arrested and released
	2008 to dateone arrested pending judgement.
	 Dubai
	
		
			   Number 
			 2004 (1) 
			 2005-06 11 
			 2006-07 33 
			 2007-08 55 
			 April 2008 to date 10 
			 (1 )Figures for 2004-05 cannot be obtained without incurring disproportionate cost.

United Arab Emirates: Prisoners

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the Government have made on behalf of British citizens imprisoned in the United Arab Emirates; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: There are currently 43 British citizens imprisoned in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Consular officers can consider approaching the local authorities only if a British citizen is not treated according to internationally accepted standards. This may include where a trial does not follow internationally recognised standards for a fair trial or is unreasonably delayed compared to local cases. We have no record of any such approaches having been made in the UAE in recent years.
	Additionally, with the prisoner's permission, consular officers can take up any justified complaint about ill treatment, personal safety, or discrimination with the police or prison authorities. We have no record of any such issues having been raised in recent times with UAE authorities. However, we have on occasion brought welfare concerns to the attention of prison authorities. These usually involve dietary and medical issues raised by prisoners. Our consulate in Dubai has taken up four cases of ill treatment with the Dubai authorities in the last three years. Posts also continue to liaise with the authorities in Sharjah and Abu Dhabi to ensure that the appeals are progressing.

Western Sahara: Politics and Government

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has received representations from the UN on Morocco's claim of sovereignty over the territory of Western Sahara; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: The UK has not received representations from the UN on Morocco's claim of sovereignty over the territory of Western Sahara. The UK regards the sovereignty of Western Sahara as undetermined pending UN efforts to find a solution. The UK fully supports the efforts of the UN Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy to the Western Sahara, Peter van Walsum, to achieve a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution, which will provide for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara.
	UN Security Council Resolution 1813 of November 2007 extended the mandate of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara and called on the parties to continue negotiations under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General. The UK fully supports these negotiations and has called on the parties to continue to engage in the process in a spirit of realism and compromise.
	The UK maintains regular contact with Mr. van Walsum, both at the UN in New York and when he has visited the UK.